Ouch!
by BeyondTheClouds777
Summary: A series of one-shots centered around Hiccup!whump. ***NEW CHAPTER*** - Despite It All - Snotlout had always been jealous of Hiccup, but he does have a heart beneath all that boasting and resentment.
1. Introduction

**Hey, guys! So, this is something new I've decided to try out. Since I like Hiccup!Whump so much, why not just write a series of one-shots revolving around Hiccup!Whump? Seriously, why not? :) And better yet, I can ask for your requests on what to write and get some ideas from you guys as well. Sounds fun, right? :)**

 **So, you guys can request anything you want, although I do have a few rules (and notes):**

 **1) Nothing rated M. Period.**

 **2) I write Hiccstrid better than anything. So chances are, if you request a Hiccstrid one-shot, I might write it sooner than later.**

 **3) You can do any setting - post HTTYD, post HTTYD2, Race to the Edge, Riders of Berk, etc., except right now, I write best in the Race to the Edge setting.**

 **4) When you request the one-shot, with it, request a possible name to the one-shot. It'll help me, since normally, I'm at a loss on what to name my stories. :/**

 **5) You can request anything from sick one-shots to hurt one-shots, just so long as it revolves around Hiccup.**

 **6) Romance is not my strongest genre in writing. However, I often tend to write a little romance in my Hiccup/Astrid centric stories.**

 **7) DO NOT request a "Romance" genre. Generally, when I'm writing about Hiccup/Astrid, I use the genre "Friendship", cause I'm awful at Romance. :/ XD**

 **9) MAKE SURE you read the numbers that come before these rules, because there are trolls out there who will try to trick you.**

 **10) LOOK BACK and realize that I left out number 8.**

 **11) SMILE because I am a troll. :D**

 **12) DO NOT request more than one one-shot in the same review. It makes it confusing for me. :/**

 **13) DO NOT remind me of requests. I'll write them down as soon as I get them. NO REMINDERS. PLEASE.**

 **14) Keep in mind that I MAY OR MAY NOT do your requested one-shot, but chances are, I will.**

 **With all that being said, request away! :D And have fun! :D**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	2. Don't Drop Dead, Dragon Boy

**Title: Don't Drop Dead, Dragon Boy**

 **Summary: The Night Terrors are scattered by Hookfang, and the other riders follow them to rally them back up. Unfortunately, Hiccup follows one into a cave, and straight down a chasm.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Requested by: MessyBessyJackySassy**

* * *

Looking back, it was all Snotlout's fault.

It was a peaceful morning at the Edge. Fishlegs was looking at the Dragon Eye while Hiccup sat on the table in the center of the Clubhouse, taking notes on the dragons so they could update the Book of Dragons when they returned to Berk for more necessities. Astrid was sitting beside Hiccup, and the twins were pacing. The dragons were gurgling and cooing at each other, almost as if they were having their own conversation, which Hiccup assumed they were.

All of a sudden, the peaceful tranquil of the Clubhouse was disturbed when Snotlout and Hookfang rocketed through the opening of the Clubhouse. "GUYS!" Snotlout shouted; he sounded desperate.

Hiccup looked up from his work, as did Astrid. "What did you do now, Snotlout?" Astrid groaned. The past few days, Snotlout had been a nuisance, as usual, but it was almost worse than usual, if that were even possible.

Snotlout took in a deep breath and said, "Um, Hiccup, you know that little talk we had about leaving the Night Terrors alone…?"

Hiccup's head snapped up in his cousin's direction. "Yeah…?" Hiccup asked suspiciously.

Snotlout pointed back outside. "Well, Hookfang decided to scare them, and now they're everywhere!" he shouted.

Hiccup leapt to his feet, as did Astrid beside him. Fishlegs turned from the Dragon Eye, and the twins raced towards the other riders.

"Was there fire involved?" they asked excitedly.

The Night Terrors were fleeing? That wasn't good. "Oh, this is bad," Hiccup mused out loud, pinching the bridge of his nose. "If the Night Terrors can't group together to defend themselves-"

"Then it leaves them open and prone to predators," Fishlegs cut in. He gasped. "We have to find them!"

"They're still out there!" Snotlout said. "They're still - HEY!"

He was cut off when the other riders and dragons shoved past him and Hookfang and raced outside.

Snotlout was right: the Night Terrors _were_ still fleeing, flying off in every direction possible and more. Hiccup looked back, calculating in his head.

"Alright," he said. "Astrid, you take the North. Stormfly can take the Northwest. Scare them back towards the Clubhouse, not farther away." Astrid nodded instantly and raced off in her assigned direction, Stormfly doing the same.

Hiccup turned back to the remaining riders. "Snotlout, you go in the West," he instructed, "and Hookfang can go in the Southwest." He glared at Snotlout for an extra moment, and when the boy and his dragon left to do as they were instructed, Hiccup looked back at Fishlegs, the twins, and their dragons.

"Ruffnut, you take the South," Hiccup directed, "Barf and Belch take the Southeast, and Tuffnut, take the East."

"We're in it to win it!" Ruffnut and Tuffnut cheered, fist pumping. Without waiting for a response, they darted in their assigned directions, cackling madly as they went.

"Fishlegs, you stay here with the other dragons and wait for the Night Terrors to return," Hiccup said. "I'll take the Northeast."

Fishlegs nodded. "Alright, got it," he said.

Hiccup nodded in response, turned, and pursued the Night Terrors into the Northeast.

Most the Night Terrors he came across raced back to the base without so much of a second thought. Hiccup knew it made sense; they were still spooked, and now, they were alone, defenseless, and everything in between. They wanted to get back together again as much as Hiccup wanted them to.

He didn't even have to do anything, really. All he had to do was scare the Night Terrors back in the right direction, and they did the rest themselves.

He wasn't so sure why Snotlout had to do what he did; he always knew Snotlout was an idiot, but he didn't think Snotlout would stoop as low as spooking the living daylights out of all the Night Terrors with Hookfang. That was just too low.

But Hiccup's plan to rally up the Night Terrors by splitting up in different directions was a good one, and it was working great. So far, Hiccup had shooed over seventeen Night Terrors back to their base, and now, he was chasing a particularly spooked one.

This Night Terror didn't fly in the right direction. He continued onwards, towards the caves of Dragon's Edge. He wasn't moving very fast, so Hiccup had a very easy time keeping up with him. He felt bad for the Night Terrors; they were defenseless against Hookfang.

Hiccup made a mental note to yell at his cousin when they got all the Night Terrors back to where they belonged.

"Hey!" Hiccup shouted as the Night Terror continue flying in a sluggish, skittish, zig-zag pattern. "Come on! Get back here! We have to get you back to the rest of your gang!"

Not that he expected the dragon to listen to him, but hey, it was worth a shot. Better than doing nothing, he supposed.

The Night Terror flew straight into one of the caves, and Hiccup had no choice but to follow. It was dark, but Hiccup wasn't scared of the dark. It didn't bother him, so he continued on, and on, and on…

Suddenly, the ground was no longer beneath his feet (or, one foot and prosthetic, that is), and oddly enough, he found himself falling. He couldn't help but cry out in shock; he was falling through the air, and he had no control over it, except, his cry ended abruptly when he smashed against something cold, rock hard, and solid.

The ground.

He must have fallen down a ledge, or something of that nature. Moments after he hit, as he lifted his head to see where he was, the pain engulfed him. Blackness darker than the cave fogged his vision, and he let his head drop back against the ground. The blackness of unconsciousness seized him, and he heard and saw no more.

…

Three Night Terrors hid behind a rock, huddled together, shivering in fear and squeaking in terror whenever anything near them moved (even if it was just the tree branches being blown by wind).

Astrid snuck on them, slowly, and then, all at once, she sprang towards them. They shrieked, scattered, and flew back towards the Clubhouse. Astrid smiled. It was working, just as Hiccup's plans always worked. She couldn't wait to congratulate him on this one.

She'd scared well over twenty Night Terrors back to base, and she was sure the other riders and dragons had done the same. Whenever Night Terrors were scared, she could look at the sky. Night Terrors flew from the West, the Southwest, the East - all directions.

Except, she hadn't seen any Night Terrors fly from the Northeast. She would have to ask one of the riders who went to Northeast.

It was well after noon now, with the sun high in the sky, and Astrid decided, after one final sweep of the North, that she was finished. Looking back at the sky, she could tell that the others must have been finished, too, because there were no more fleeing Night Terrors.

Satisfied, she began back towards Dragon's Edge.

When she arrived, the other riders were already there. Astrid looked: Snotlout, Hookfang, Fishlegs, Meatlug, Barf and Belch, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Stormfly, Toothless-

But where was Hiccup? Astrid looked again; he wasn't there. By the looks on the other riders' faces, they didn't know where he was, either, and they were confused as to why he wasn't there.

"Where's Hiccup?" Astrid asked, although she knew they didn't know the answer.

"I...I don't know," Fishlegs said, scanning the surroundings again, just to make sure there really was no sign of Hiccup. "He should be here. He went to the Northeast, and we've been here for a while."

Above them, the Night Terrors flocked into their formation, but Astrid could tell there were still a few Night Terrors missing. She studied it with confusion.

"Hiccup took the Northeast?" she repeated, just to clarify, and Fishlegs nodded. "I haven't seen any Night Terrors come from the Northeast for a while now," Astrid went on.

Fishlegs' eyes widened. "Oh no!" he panicked. "Do you think he's okay?"

"Ha!" Snotlout laughed. "I'm sure he's fine! He's Hiccup! He's always fine!"

Astrid felt like attacking Snotlout; it was his fault to begin with, but right now, she knew she didn't have the time. She was beginning to grow worried. She knew Hiccup was careful, and he wouldn't let his guard down, but still. This was still the wilderness, so to speak, and Astrid and the other riders were new to this land.

Astrid didn't know what other predators could have been living on this island, and neither did the other riders. Neither did Hiccup.

And Hiccup was absent.

"Well, we have to find him," Astrid said. The sun was setting now over the horizon. Astrid knew that, when the sun set, it would be too late. Searching in the dark would be futile.

"You're right," Fishlegs nodded.. "We'll split up, again, I guess. We'll take the dragons and search the area, do a thorough sweep in every direction. Meatlug and I can wait here in case Hiccup comes back."

Astrid nodded. She knew that out of all the riders, Fishlegs was the best choice to stay behind. He was the only one besides her and Hiccup who wouldn't spook the fire out of the Night Terrors, and besides, Meatlug was the slowest dragon. It would take her longer to search the island than it would the others.

"Alright," Astrid nodded. "You guys go ahead and search the other directions. I'll look in the Northeast and see what I can find. And hurry."

She mounted Stormfly, and she and the riders were airborne.

She headed towards Northeast instantly, soaring low over the trees, scanning the ground with her keen eyes. She tried not to be worried, really, she did, but she couldn't help but feel at least a pinch of fear. She didn't know what she would do if Hiccup were to somehow be hurt, or maybe Dagur somehow found their outpost-

"Come on, Stormfly, faster," Astrid pushed, and Stormfly continued on.

The further they flew, the more Night Terrors Astrid saw. Stormfly scared them back to Dragon's Edge easily, but at the same time, it was odd. Hiccup wouldn't leave these dragons alone.

Not unless something bad happened to him.

Then, just as she passed a single Night Terror, she stopped. The Night Terror looked...frantic, almost. Astrid squinted at it in confusion.

"Down there, Stormfly," Astrid directed, and Stormfly obeyed, soaring downwards. As soon as they touched down, the Night Terror squealed and darted in the opposite direction.

But it didn't look as though it were running _from_ her and Stormfly.

It looked as though he were trying to lead her _to_ something.

Astrid's blood ran cold. _Hiccup…_

Even if the Night Terror was afraid, Astrid knew that if it knew where Hiccup was, it would lead her straight to him. But, only if something was terribly wrong, and right now, something must have been terribly wrong, because the Night Terror was leading her.

It led her straight to a cave. Astrid and the other riders had noticed that there were a few caves located in different spots around Dragon's Edge, although none of them had been explored. Slowly, Astrid dismounted Stormfly, and walked into the cave.

Stormfly followed her, and the Night Terror remained outside. The cave was dark: Astrid couldn't hear anything, and she couldn't see anything. She took a step forward-

"Ahhh!"

She would have fallen straight downwards if Stormfly hadn't grabbed her by the back of her shirt. Astrid took a step backwards, staring down into the black, black chasm. She craned her neck as if it would help.

If Hiccup fell down there…

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Hiccup, are you down there!? Can you hear me!?" No answer, which Astrid had half-figured would happen. If he'd really fallen from that high a distance, he would have been unconscious.

Unconscious, and probably hurt, too.

She didn't want to imagine it, but it was too late. She was really scared now, although she would never admit it. She was even more scared than the Night Terrors were when they fled from Hookfang and scattered in all directions.

If Hiccup was hurt...she didn't know what she would do.

"Stormfly…?" Astrid began, and Stormfly must have known what she wanted, because the Nadder shot a ball of fire straight down the length of the cave. As the ball passed over the chasm, Astrid was able to determine the width of it.

It was big enough for Stormfly to fly down and fly back up, easily.

Astrid felt hopeful, if slightly. If Hiccup was down there, she would be able to get him out. Astrid turned back to Stormfly and leapt atop her dragon's back. "Take us down, girl," Astrid directed, and Stormfly obeyed. She spread her wings, and flew straight into the chasm.

The drop wasn't that big, but it would be big if you were falling without a dragon. Astrid didn't want to think of how painful falling from that height would be, and was glad she'd brought Stormfly with her.

As soon as Stormfly landed on solid ground, Astrid dismounted, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. She turned, assessing her surroundings. She couldn't see much.

But then, her eyes adjusted and noticed the body of an unconscious boy, lying face down on the ground.

"HICCUP!" Astrid shrieked. She raced towards him, her heart filled with fear. Her mind raced at a hundred miles an hour: _Is he dead!? Please no! Please no! Please, please, NO!_

She grabbed him by his shoulders and flipped him onto his back, subsequently holding him in her arms. His skin felt like ice, and she clutched him closer to her, willing her body heat to warm him. "Hiccup?" she whispered. She couldn't see very clearly in the darkness, but she could make out that he was unconscious, and pale. Thankfully for her (or she would have had a full-blown panic attack), she could also make out the sound of his raspy breaths.

He was breathing, and that was relieving, but what injuries had he suffered?

"Hiccup!?" she said, more frantically when he didn't respond the first time.

Stormfly sucked in a breath and shot a small blast of fire towards the far wall. A pile of dead, dry brush burst into flames, and Astrid was able to see clearly in the firelight.

Hiccup was pale, his features slack. Dry blood (and fresh blood, too, to Astrid's terror) colored his bangs and made Astrid feel sick. In panic, she beckoned to Stormfly, who bounded forward instantly. Astrid began digging in Stormfly's saddlebag with one hand; her other arm supported Hiccup's lolling head.

Astrid found a thin blanket in her dragon's saddlebag. It wasn't much, but she knew it would serve its purpose, at least. She, with Stormfly's help, tore off a large piece of the blanket and pressed it against Hiccup's head. Hiccup jerked weakly, his features contorted in pain, and Astrid couldn't help but whisper, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," over and over again.

Astrid couldn't see any more open wounds, but by the shaky, shuddering rise and fall of his chest, and the rasp to his breathing, she assumed he broke a rib or two, or at least bruised it or cracked it pretty good.

Oh, poor Hiccup…

Astrid pulled the torn blanket over him, hoping it would at least help keep him warm until she could get him to safety. She had to make sure he didn't have any more open wounds, and she had to make sure his ribs weren't broken to the point where moving him would be dangerous.

Hiccup twitched, and then, after another moment, his eyes cracked open, just enough for Astrid to see the emerald color they were. He blinked slowly and incessantly. "Ast…" he slurred.

Astrid nodded. His voice was cracked and wheezy, but at least he was awake. Her panic dimmed, if slightly, and she managed a small, weak smile. "Yeah, it's me," she promised. "It's me, I'm here, I'm right here."

"Ast'rid…" Hiccup coughed. "I...I...I think...I think I...fell…"

"Yeah, you think?" Astrid tried for a laugh, but it didn't work. Hiccup didn't even appear to hear her. He shut his eyes again, and Astrid shook him gently yet firmly, trying not to panic for his and her sakes. "Hey, stay with me, alright?" she said. "Just...stay with me."

Hiccup nodded shakily.

"Alright," Astrid said. She looked at Stormfly, and then back at Hiccup. "Do you think you can get on Stormfly's back if I help you?" she asked. She really had to get him back to the Edge. He didn't look good…

To her relief, Hiccup nodded, and Astrid slowly began pulling him into a stand. However, before they got far, Hiccup screamed in pain and collapsed heavily against her, his breath more ragged than it had been before (if that was even possible).

It was then Astrid decided Hiccup wasn't going to be able to move, even though he claimed he could. She held him tightly in her arms, trying to think of what to do. Hiccup swallowed.

"I'm...m'sorry, Astrid," he said. "I'm...I'm fine, r-really…"

"No, you're not fine," Astrid said, "and you shouldn't be sorry. It wasn't your fault." She looked at Stormfly and nodded at the dragon. "Go, get help," Astrid commanded, and Stormfly obeyed instantly, spreading her wings and soaring back out of the cavern.

Astrid looked down at Hiccup and shook him again. "You gotta stay awake, okay?" she said. "Here…" She knew she had to keep him talking, somehow, or else he _would_ pass out again, and she didn't know what damage he'd done to his head, or how bad it was. "How'd you get down here in the first place?" she asked.

Hiccup blinked tiredly and sighed. "I...I fell…?"

Astrid sighed heavily. "Yeah, no kidding," she said. "I mean, how'd you end up in the cave in the first place?"

"Night T-Terror," Hiccup wheezed. "Gotta...get'em...back...t'Edge…"

Oh. Well, that made sense. Hiccup followed the Night Terror into the cave and fell down the chasm without knowing it was even there. Astrid wondered how long he'd been there, alone, lying unconscious on the ground, without her even knowing where he was…

"I'm sorry, Hiccup," she apologized.

"No...m'sorry," Hiccup corrected. "I...should've been...more c-careful…"

Astrid shook her head and held him tighter. "Just...stay away from caves from now on, alright?"

Hiccup nodded.

The other riders and their dragons showed up, not more than ten minutes later. After Astrid learned that Hiccup's head wound was not life threatening, she let him rest, and when the riders reached them, they found Astrid, holding Hiccup in her arms. Hiccup was sleeping, and despite his injuries, he looked peaceful.

Of course, it made sense. Astrid would always protect him to the best of her abilities, and when she failed to protect him, she would never leave him as he recovered, no matter how long it took.

Because she loved him.

She didn't know where she would be without him.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Aaaaand that was the first one-shot in this collection, and I hope you all enjoyed it! :D It was requested my MessyBessyJackySassy, just so you all know, and remember, if you have any requests, don't hesitate to ask! Just make sure you follow the rules. ;)**

 **Until next update!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	3. Sick

**Title: Sick**

 **Summary: Stoick's days as Chief are tiring, and having to raise a child along with chiefing the village isn't easy. Except, one day, he takes his anger out on the person closest to him, who just so happens to be his sick, six-year-old son.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Stoick**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family**

 **Rating: K**

 **Requested by: waistcoat35**

* * *

Hiccup woke up in the middle of the night, covered in a cold layer of sweat. At first, he didn't know what it was that woke him, but then, it hit him like a wave from the ocean. His head hurt. It hurt _really, really_ bad. He couldn't even express how much it hurt.

When he sat up, that's when the nausea came. The six-year-old tried to do what he did when he was seasick, which involved breathing through his nose and taking deep, calming breaths, and although it worked for a few minutes, it didn't make him feel better for long.

He stumbled out of bed, his bare feet hitting the floorboards of his room. He ran for a bucket, his hand over his mouth, and just barely managed to lean over one before sour bile crept up his throat and committed suicide. He didn't like this. He felt like crying. He wanted his Mom, but he knew she was gone. No one really told him what happened, but he knew she wasn't with him. He wanted her with him.

Getting to his feet, wobbling for only a few moments, he grabbed the bucket with his shaking hands and stumbled downstairs as quietly as he could. He didn't want to wake his father. His father always got angry when Hiccup woke him in the middle of the night, and Hiccup didn't want to make his father angry.

He left the bucket outside and shuffled back into the house, making sure his father was still sleeping before climbing back up the stairs and crawling into his bed, laying on his side miserably.

Although he felt exhausted, sleep didn't come easy.

…

He felt even worse the next morning if that was even possible. Slowly getting out of bed and clutching his head, he stumbled across the room, his vision spinning. He could hardly see. The edges of his vision blackened for a few moments before returning, and when it did, he saw the floorboards, right in front of his face.

He put his hands forward to brace himself against the ground, and when he hit the floor, he stayed there, feeling too weak and feeble to stand again for a good long time. When he did manage to stand, he put one hand against his head, his other hand against his stomach, and then slowly crept down the stairs.

Hiccup found his Dad downstairs

If Stoick hadn't stayed up so late the previous night, he might have noticed the faint wobble in his son's steps as the skinny, six-year-old boy made his way down the stairs. If Stoick hadn't been so stressed out with giant sheets of paperwork full of his duties for the next day, he might have taken a moment to actually look at his son. If he had, he would have seen the boy's flushed cheeks, pale complexion, and haziness of his usually bright eyes.

"Daddy?"

If Stoick hadn't been up practically all night working on being Chief of Berk, he would have noticed the crack in the young boy's voice. But he hadn't noticed it. He hadn't noticed all the things any other father would have noticed in their sons.

He was stressed. He was tired. No, underestimate. He was _exhausted_. He didn't want to do _anything_ , and yet, he still had to stay up late, get up early, Chief the village, get home late, file out paperwork, get maybe a few hours of sleep before repeating the same thing over and over every single day.

Oh yeah, there was one more thing, too...

He had a child to raise on top of all that. Except, he really should have kept raising Hiccup at the top of it instead of shoving it in the back of his mind. He should have made Hiccup his top priority in life.

But he didn't. Not really.

"Daddy?" Hiccup repeated quietly, and this time, Stoick spun around to face him. The little boy yipped and jumped, stumbling over his own feet.

"What?" Stoick demanded. He was pretty sure he hadn't meant for his voice to come out that...snappy, but honestly, he couldn't help it. He really, honestly, couldn't help it. "What is it?"

Hiccup blinked slowly, suddenly looking tongue tied. "I-I...I just-"

"You just _what?"_ Stoick questioned. "Speak up, Hiccup!"

The boy didn't say anything, which was a complete contrast to his usually hyper attitude, but Stoick disregarded it, shoving it into the back of his mind. Hiccup had always been somewhat of a square peg in a round hole. This was nothing new.

Stoick groaned. "I don't understand," he said. "You interrupt me when I'm trying to work, and then when I finally _do_ stop and take the time to actually listen to what you have to say, I get this! You don't even answer me when I'm talking to you!"

If Stoick had thought about what he was saying, he would have realized that it wasn't actually Hiccup's fault. Stoick didn't "take the time" for his son. Not since Val. Ever since Val, he and Hiccup had grown distant. Hiccup had always tried to do things; little things to impress his father, but none of them were particularly helpful to the village.

"Well?" Stoick demanded. "Have you nothing to say?"

Hiccup took another step backwards. "I'm...I'm…"

Stoick didn't notice the waver to his son's voice. He didn't notice the way it cracked multiple times, just in the two small repeated words Hiccup spoke.

He did, however, notice when his six-year-old toothpick of a son bust into tears. That sent the warning sirens off in Stoick's head like a dragon's roar. _Do something, do something, do something!_ every fatherly instinct he had screamed at him.

He raced across the room, towards his son. As soon as he reached him, he bend down on his knees and hugged Hiccup tightly, his arms around Hiccup's tiny shoulders and back.

"I'm sorry," Stoick whispered. "Oh, I'm so, so sorry, Hiccup." He was mentally screaming at himself. How _dare_ he yell at his son like that? He had no right to. No right at all. Hiccup didn't do anything at all. In fact, Hiccup didn't even speak more than two words before Stoick's outburst, and those two words were just one word repeated.

It wasn't Hiccup's fault.

It wasn't Hiccup's fault _at all_.

A moment later, Hiccup flung his arms around Stoick's neck and held tightly, crying into his father's shoulder. "I'm sorry," Hiccup sobbed. "I'm sorry, Daddy!"

Now Stoick had _really_ done it, making his son feel guilty for something he shouldn't have ever felt guilty for. Hiccup didn't do anything wrong. The only person in the wrong was Stoick.

"No, don't be sorry, Hiccup," Stoick said. "I'm the one who should be sorry."

Hiccup didn't reply, and Stoick said nothing more. A long while passed before either of them said anything, and it was Hiccup who finally spoke. "Daddy?"

"Yes, son?"

Hiccup rested his head against his father's neck and sighed. "I don't feel good," the boy sniffed, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

Once again, the sirens in Stoick's head activated. The more he thought about it, his son _did_ feel warmer than usual, especially his forehead, which was pressed directly against Stoick's neck. And the way Hiccup was clinging to him desperately like a scared kitten finding a safe haven was unusual, even for the six-year-old. Hiccup was never clingy, even when he was upset or distraught.

Save, though, the times he was sick.

Stoick pulled Hiccup away reluctantly, his hands on the boy's shoulders. He looked his son over; Hiccup's eyes were red, from crying or illness, Stoick couldn't tell. He looked paler than usual, and his cheeks were definitely too flushed to be healthy. Stoick put his hand on Hiccup's forehead, underneath the boy's russet bangs that hung over his eyes.

"Ah, lad, you've got a fever," Stoick said, his anxiety displayed openly.

Hiccup sniffled again. "M'sorry, Daddy."

That was another thing Stoick should have noticed earlier; even though he was still so young, Hiccup generally never called his father "Daddy." He always resorted to "Dad", or once or twice, "Father" even, when Stoick was in a meeting and Hiccup interrupted him in a polite way. But he only went back to "Daddy" when he was distressed or scared.

Or sick, in this case.

Stoick didn't want Hiccup to apologize again. "It isn't your fault, Hiccup," he said in his gruff accent. "Getting sick is something you can't control." He moved his hand from Hiccup's shoulder back to his forehead again. Thor, that fever was higher than he wanted it to be… "How long have you know you were sick, son? Just this morning?"

Just as Stoick had feared, Hiccup shook his head. "No," he said quietly. "I...I was sick last night. I...I threw up in a bucket and put it outside."

Stoick was torn between kicking himself and mentally yelling at himself. "Why didn't you tell me, son?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Because," Hiccup sniffed (he did a lot of that, it seemed). He wiped his eyes sadly and shook his head. "I...I didn't...w-want to make you mad."

Of course. That was something Stoick definitely feared. His son was scared to tell him he was sick. That hurt. That hurt _a lot_. "I'm not angry with you, Hiccup," he said. "I...I want you to wake me if you need me, alright? Please, Hiccup. I need you to tell me these things, alright?"

Hiccup shut his eyes and nodded feverishly. "M'kay," he said. "I...I will, Daddy."

Stoick smiled, although it didn't reach his eyes. "Good," he said. "Now let's do something about that fever."

Hiccup nodded again. Stoick lifted the boy into his arms and carried him upstairs while Hiccup kept his arms wrapped tightly around Stoick's neck, his head resting on Stoick's shoulder.

"It's alright, son," Stoick assured. "It's alright." When he reached the lad's loft, he laid Hiccup down on the bed. Hiccup curled into himself on his side, sniffing miserably. Despite his fever, Hiccup was shivering, and Stoick wasted little time before pulling the furs over his son.

"I'll be right back," he promised, and then left for downstairs to fetch a basin of water and a rag to use against Hiccup's fever. As Stoick gathered the necessities, he scolded himself.

 _Stoick, you idiot. You should have been more aware. You should have noticed your son. Stoick, he's sick! He's alone! He doesn't have a mother! You're the only one who can take care of him! You're the one he counts on and looks up to for everything. He loves you, Stoick!_

Stoick felt terrible. When he climbed back up the stairs, he found Hiccup in the same place he'd left him, shivering in his bed, his eyes shut tightly. Stoick sighed, yet said nothing out loud as he sat on the edge of the bed and soaked the rag in the water. He draped it over his son's forehead and pressed it gently against Hiccup's skin. He expected Hiccup to protest, maybe complain that it was cold, but instead, his pinched features smoothed out, and his breath came easier.

Stoick sighed, once again. Slowly, as to not wake his son, he rose to a stand and began towards the door. He wanted to go see Gothi, to ask if there was anything she could give him that would help Hiccup.

But, just before he began down the stairs, Hiccup's voice broke through the silence.

"I love you, Daddy," Hiccup rasped quietly.

Stoick stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to look at his little boy. Hiccup's big, green, oh so expressive eyes were open, and he looked directly at his father. His eyes were glazed and watery, but filled with so much trust, without any trace of doubt whatsoever.

That gave Stoick a bit of a wake-up call. It showed him that his son trusted him with all his heart, and it reminded Stoick that he could never betray that trust.

"I love you too, son," Stoick said.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Soo, yeah. :) This was really partially requested by waistcoat35, who requested anything with "FATHER/SON FEEEEEEELLLLSS!" XD Writing about Hiccup and Stoick is a bit challenging to do, in honesty, but I'm satisfied with this piece, and I hope you guys are too. :)**

 **Once again, I'm always open to requests on what to write next in this story, but remember, that it's supposed to be centered around Hurt/Comfort. I can do Angst, yes, but that's a bit of a different genre, and a bit more challenging to write.**

 **Nonetheless, if I like an idea, I will keep it. :) So, that will be all. :D**

 **Until next update!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	4. The Cold Shoulder

**Title: The Cold Shoulder**

 **Summary: Hiccup is on his way back to Dragon's Edge on Toothless when a sudden storm sends him hurled into the ocean. When he finally** _ **does**_ **manage to get back to their base, he and the other riders have to deal with the aftermath: hypothermia.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid, Toothless**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Rating: K**

 **Requested by: wingedflower**

* * *

Hiccup didn't mean to fall in the ocean, and looking back on it, it wasn't even really his fault.

Toothless soared over the icy water, his wings beating against the wind and pounding against the sky as he rocketed towards Dragon's Edge. It was raining, not pouring, but still, the water drops that pelted Hiccup's face made him annoyed and cold.

It wasn't a good idea, flying through the middle of a storm, but he had no idea the storm would begin. He'd been flying alone, investigating odd activity from another island, when the storm hit unexpectedly. He'd been forced to retreat back to Dragon's Edge.

It was in the middle of winter, so in honesty, he should have expected the storm, but he hadn't thought about it very much before Toothless took off, and by the time Hiccup took a moment to think about it, he was too late. The storm had already begun. The waves of the ocean lurched and leapt, almost as if they were trying to grab Hiccup and Toothless and drag them down.

"Come on, Toothless!" Hiccup shouted, trying desperately to get his voice over the wind. Toothless was trying to fly higher, but whenever he tried, a bolt of lightning kept them close to the ocean. They couldn't fly high, and flying low was dangerous.

Honestly, though, Hiccup would choose water over lightning any day. He'd been struck by lightning before, and it wasn't something he would want to experience again. And besides, if he got struck by lightning now, then so would Toothless, and Hiccup didn't want his best friend to suffer through that kind of pain.

They weren't anywhere near Dragon's Edge - they probably still had another half an hour flight to go through before they reached their destination, but regardless of the time it took, Hiccup knew they had to get there, as soon as possible, for both their sakes.

He was thankful Toothless had scales and internal warmth from his plasma blasts that kept the dragon warm, or else, Hiccup and Toothless _both_ would have been in an even worse jam. If Toothless was too cold, he wouldn't be able to fly, and Hiccup knew that.

He was also afraid. If they didn't get back to Dragon's Edge soon…

He pushed that thought to the back of his mind. No, they _had_ to get back to Dragon's Edge. He honestly didn't know what would become of him and his dragon if they didn't.

"Come on, Toothless, come on, we can do it," Hiccup assured, although he himself felt as though he were lying to his dragon, blatantly, in fact. _Would_ they be able to do it?

Hiccup supposed they had to try, at least.

A wave shot up from the ocean, and Toothless dodged it easily, however, while the dragon swerved to avoid one wave, another wave swept towards them, bigger than all previous ones.

Hiccup gasped. He would have said something else, probably, but he didn't even have time for that before the icy cold water slammed into him and his dragon. He was thrown out of the saddle and into the temper tantrum the ocean had become.

He couldn't breathe. It was too cold. His mind itself felt numbed. His senses dulled. He couldn't think. He couldn't move. The water was so cold that it hurt. It stung his skin and numbed his body.

He couldn't breathe.

Suddenly, he felt something grab him and yank him back towards the surface of the ocean. As soon as his head shot up out of the water, Hiccup gasped. His chest felt oddly tight, and breathing became very difficult.

But it was better than not being able to breathe at all.

Hiccup looked at his savior with thankful eyes: Toothless struggled to keep both himself and his rider above the ocean's towering waves. Hiccup knew that if he didn't get on Toothless' back, and if they didn't make it back to Dragon's Edge, they would drown if the cold didn't kill them first.

"C-c-come on, T-Toothless," Hiccup's teeth chattered uncontrollably, but somehow - not even Hiccup was sure how he managed it - he managed to pull himself onto Toothless' back and force his prosthetic into the pedal.

Toothless roared, spread his wings, and leapt into the sky.

The rain suddenly felt so much colder than it really was, and the wind felt a thousand times more noticeable and freezing. Hiccup still couldn't breathe properly, and it was enough to raise concern.

But it didn't stop him, and it didn't stop Toothless either. The Night Fury soared back towards Dragon's Edge. The closer they became, the heavier the rain became. Hiccup found himself worried about the other riders. Were they alright? Were they okay? Safe? Sound? Dry? Warm? Or were they like him, out flying in this crazy weather?

Hiccup shook his head. Astrid would make sure no one took off for no good reason.

He just really hoped they didn't come looking for him. If they did, who knew what trouble they would get themselves into.

When Dragon's Edge was finally in sight, Hiccup breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Almost there, Toothless, almost there," Hiccup chanted. "Just...hang on, a little longer…" He didn't know who he was talking to at this point: himself, or Toothless.

More to himself than anything. Toothless didn't seem to be having any problem flying through this storm at all, and that was reassuring, at least.

Toothless landed right in front of the Clubhouse's closed doors, and Hiccup stumbled off his back, and would have fallen if Toothless hadn't lurched forward to catch his rider. Hiccup thanked his dragon in a weak, raspy voice, and slowly dragged himself towards the doors of the Clubhouse.

Hiccup flattened his hands against the wooden doors to hold himself up, and then, slowly, once he'd regained his balance, he knocked his fist against the wood, and hoped with all hope someone answered his knock.

…

Astrid listened to the lightning crash and the thunder roll outside the Clubhouse. She and the other riders were inside with their dragons. Or, everyone, besides Hiccup and Toothless. They were still outside, hopefully on their way back.

A strike of lightning jarred Astrid from her thoughts. She could hear the rain pelting against the rooftop, and was glad that she was inside and the rain was not. But, Hiccup was outside, and so was the rain.

Astrid stood up from her position and began pacing. "I don't like this," she said. "I don't like this at all. Hiccup should be back with Toothless by now. How long does it take to explore an island? He's been gone for hours."

She should never have let him go alone, but he'd kind of insisted. He said that she and the other riders should wait back with the dragons, just in case something happened. Unfortunately, that was the reason Astrid felt that someone _should_ have gone with him: just in case something bad happened.

Across the room, Fishlegs nodded. "I know," he agreed quietly. "It's not like Hiccup to waste time. If he isn't back yet, I don't know where he could be."

Astrid opened her mouth to say something else, but she stopped abruptly when she heard a small, barely noticeable knock on the Clubhouse doors. She jerked her head in that direction instantly, and raced forward.

She grabbed the bar of the door, flung it away, and yanked the doors open.

...Just to lurch forward with a cry of "Hiccup!" and grab said boy as he collapsed forward. He was soaking wet from head to toe, and as his sopping wet body fell against her own, she shivered.

Great Thor, he was _freezing_.

She was quick at dragging him inside, and Toothless bounded in after his rider, shoving the doors shut with his tail afterwards. Snotlout, the twins, and Fishlegs looked up, and they raced forward as soon as they saw the state their leader and friend was in.

"Hiccup!" they shouted in unison, their voices laced with panic.

Hiccup straightened up slowly, his ice cold hands pressing against Astrid's shoulders to steady himself. Astrid kept her hands set on Hiccup's forearms, ready to help keep him supported if he suddenly collapsed on her again.

"I'm...I'm alright," he slurred, shaking his head back and forth feverishly. "M'fine. Fine…"

"No, no, you're not 'fine'," Astrid shot back. "You're freezing, and you're soaking wet." Hiccup lifted his head to look at her, but then, he turned away and coughed into the crook of his elbow. The coughs were deep and raspy.

Astrid was torn between feeling sorry for him and being angry with him. Great, just great. Now he'd made himself sick.

Poor Hiccup.

Was he an idiot?

Yes.

Should he have gotten someone to go with him?

Yes.

Should Astrid have followed him?

Yes.

He was definitely an idiot, but she always felt sorry for him when he was sick, even when it was his own fault he was sick in the first place. She knew the first thing they really had to do was get him into some warm clothes (or at least dry clothes).

"Come on, Hiccup," she said. "You have to get out of your wet clothes and put something dry on. Snotlout, can you-"

Hiccup shook his head. "N-no, I c-can do it myself," he insisted.

Astrid understood him wanting to do it himself, really, she did, but he kind of looked like he was going to pass out. Astrid was surprised he hadn't passed out yet, actually.

But, he was stubborn, and couldn't be argued with, so in the end, she sighed and nodded. "Just let us know if you need help, alright?" she offered. Hiccup nodded shakily.

They had a back storage in the Clubhouse where they stored all sorts of necessities for times such as these, when storms downed the riders to the point where they couldn't even step outside. They packed water canteens, food, blankets, and spare changes of clothes.

It was Hiccup's idea, and it was a good one. She made a mental note to tell him that later on.

The next time she saw Hiccup (about five after he left to change), he was wearing what he usually wore, only without his armor. He was stumbling on his feet, and Astrid raced towards him to steady him.

He still felt freezing. The only thing that felt warmer (or dryer, at least) was his clothes.

"Snotlout, go find some blankets," Astrid commanded, and Snotlout didn't have to be told twice. He raced to the back to get what Astrid had ordered while Astrid turned back to face the rest of the riders.

"Fishlegs, do you think you can make him something warm to sip on?"

Fishlegs nodded. "Yeah, I will," he said, and he turned away to do just that.

Meanwhile, Astrid led Hiccup towards the far wall, and she sank down with him when his knees buckled. He seemed only half conscious, and didn't protest to anything at all. He didn't open his mouth and say he was fine, like he had earlier. His breath came in gasps, and his skin felt like ice.

Astrid pulled him against her side. She knew if he had hypothermia, she couldn't start by warming his hands, or he could go into shock, but she wanted to grab his hand and hold it _so badly_.

She sighed heavily.

When Snotlout returned with the blankets, Astrid wasted no time in wrapping Hiccup in them, one after the other, until he was completely enveloped. His head rested against her thigh, and she kept her hand against his forehead, just so she could feel if his body heat rose back to a healthy level.

She was worried for his sake, though, and there was no changing that. However, just before she voiced any of her concerns out loud, Toothless bounded over. His scales were dry, and he laid down on the wooden floorboards right beside his rider. He draped his wing over Hiccup and licked the boy's cheek in concern. Hiccup murmured incoherently.

His shivering was slowly but surely stopping as the warmth of his dragon and the multiple blankets finally seeped into his body. It made Astrid relieved, at least a little bit, when she felt even the smallest amount of heat return to his forehead.

She knew now he had hypothermia. It didn't seem like it was a very severe case, or life threatening, but it was still hypothermia either way. She knew it would take another week or two before he felt completely well again, and although it made her feel unbelievably sorry for her friend, she felt a little better when she knew that at least he would have his friends with him to help him through it.

After a moment, Hiccup stirred. He didn't open his eyes, but he felt Astrid's hand on his forehead, and recognized her presence. "Hi, Astrid," he murmured.

"Hi yourself, Dragon Boy," Astrid smiled as she spoke softly. She stroked his hair away from his eyes. "What'd you do to yourself _this_ time? Took a dip in the ocean?"

"Didn't mean to…" Hiccup slurred. "Waves...wind...storm...stupid, stupid, stupid..."

Astrid chuckled. "Yeah, I know," she said. "You're stupid."

"Didn't mean it like _that…"_

Astrid shook her head. She knew he didn't mean it like that, but hey, she was allowed to tease him sometimes. "I know," she said, "but you should be careful, Hiccup. You...you could've gotten seriously hurt, or...or worse."

"S'okay," Hiccup mumbled. "I learned my l-lesson…"

Astrid nodded. "Good," she said, holding his hair back out of his face. "The ocean really gave you the cold shoulder, didn't it?"

"Not funny…"

"I know. Sorry. Seriously, though, Hiccup. Do us all a favor and don't fly through any more storms, alright?"

Hiccup nodded. "Alright," he agreed.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Requested by wingedflower, as I mentioned above. I honestly liked writing this piece. Poor Hiccup, though. I like torturing him. I don't know why. :/**

 **I like writing sick!fics, too, guys, so yeah, if you have requests for sick!fics, this one-shot collection isn't limited to just Hiccup being hurt. He can be sick, hurt, poisoned...any idea could be a good idea, so don't be afraid to ask it. ;)**

 **Remember, try to limit the requests to one request per review, but as far as how many requests per person, I really don't have a huge limit. I don't want you guys to go super crazy, so let's limit it to five requests per person for now if you have that many, and later on, if I need more requests, I'll ask it again. ;)**

 **Thanks, guys! You are amazing! :)**

 **Until next update!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	5. Do NOT Eat the Raw Fish

**Title: Do NOT Eat the Raw Fish**

 **Summary: Astrid was never a good cook, ever since she was little. But Hiccup is afraid to tell her that. He doesn't want to squash her enthusiasm, of course. However, maybe he** _ **shouldn't**_ **have eaten that only half-cooked fish after all, whether it was to please Astrid or not.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Rating: K**

 **Requested by: LiviLovesDragons**

* * *

Hiccup stared at the plate in front of him, nervously twiddling his fork between his fingers. Astrid sat across from him, her fingers drumming the table, staring at Hiccup in question.

"Well?" she asked. "Go on, then! I made it myself!"

Hiccup forced back the urge to say, _That's what worries me_. Astrid wasn't a very good cook, and that alone was a generous underestimate. If Hiccup were to be blatantly honest, he would say that she was the worst cook he'd ever seen. Her yaknog was already bad enough (he was quite certain she'd poisoned a few unsuspecting Berkians with it last Snoggletog), but now, she was trying to get him to eat a _dinner_ cooked by her.

If it could even be called "dinner." Hiccup didn't know what she'd made it out of, but it did _NOT_ look appetizing, at all. It smelled partially of fish and partially of eww-what-the-heck-is-that-smell? He swallowed hard. He didn't want to say any of what he thought out loud for fear of angering her or hurting her feelings. Or both. Chances were, if he hurt her feelings, she'd show more anger than hurt.

He was torn between his two options.

Option one: flee for his very life.

Option two: suck it up and eat the mysterious concoction Astrid called dinner.

She'd invited him over to her hut earlier that evening, insisting he tried her new recipe, and Hiccup, being the innocent, kind person he was, decided to give it a shot. After all, maybe she had improved.

He was now at the conclusion that she had not, repeat, HAD NOT improved.

If anything, she'd gotten WORSE.

Now, he wished he'd declined the offer to come over for dinner, jumped on Toothless' back, and flew South for the week while Astrid's excitement over her dish became a distant, haunting memory.

But he hadn't done that. Now, he had to think of a way to squeeze out of this situation, while he still had the chance.

He pushed the plate back with his fork. "I'm actually not hungry," he said, and he wasn't lying. After seeing the contents of the plate, Hiccup didn't think _anyone_ would still have an appetite. "Not hungry at all, in fact."

Astrid tilted her head to one side, her braid falling over her shoulder. "Why not?" she said. Hiccup opened his mouth to reply, but Astrid beat him to it. "Trust me, when you taste it, your appetite will come back!" she said.

 _Or fly South for the winter,_ Hiccup thought.

But he really, really, really didn't want to hurt her feelings. He cared about her, and would never do anything to intentionally put her down. He liked her enthusiasm, and he also thought it was sweet she would invite him over like this and everything.

But at the same time, he was also quite fond of his internal organs, and would rather not spend half the night barfing them up, which he was sure he would do if he had even the smallest bite of Astrid's concoction.

However, on another hand, would it be worth it? Would making Astrid happy by eating this dish (if you could even call it food at all) be worth it?

He looked back up at her eager, encouraging face and sighed.

Well, hopefully, he wouldn't have any regrets.

"Alright, okay," he said at long last. He stabbed the smallest chunk of whatever-it-was with the end of his fork, tried not to look at it, and shoved it into his mouth before he could rethink his decision.

Oh, Thor, it tasted _way_ worse than it looked, and it took him a few moments before he was actually able to swallow it. He almost gagged, and when he _did_ finally manage to force it down his throat, he had no reassurance that it would _stay_ that way.

 _Oh, I hope I never have to take another bite of that, ever_ , he thought pleadingly.

"So?" Astrid asked, and Hiccup was reminded that he was not alone. He gazed up at Astrid, who must not have noticed his struggle with eating even the tiniest bite of her invention (he decided now that it no longer qualified as food). "How does it taste? Do you like it?"

Hiccup forced himself to smile. "Yeah, sure," he said. "It's...it's lovely, Astrid." He cast a sideways glance at the door longingly and looked back at Astrid. "I'm just sort of wondering what it is."

"Oh, simple," Astrid said. "It's a mix of three different kinds of fish with a secret sauce I can't tell you about."

That was alright with Hiccup.

He really didn't fancy knowing.

"Wonderful," he said. "Yeah, I love it." He took another bite, shivered, swallowed, and shivered again. "It's great."

 _Liar, liar, pants on fire._

Well, at least Astrid didn't notice. That was the important thing.

"Good!" Astrid said. "'Cause I made enough for second helpings and everything!"

Hiccup almost choked. _Please no._ Getting down a second _bite_ was hard enough, and he was pretty sure his stomach was already protesting with two small swallow's worths of Astrid's... _interesting_ dinner.

"Well," he said, "if I'm still hungry after this, I'll let you know."

He wasn't hungry, at all.

He wanted to run for his life.

But he couldn't do that, as much as he wanted to.

It took him a painful amount of time for him to finish forcing down the rest of the "food", and when he did, he regretted it. His stomach tossed and turned like the waves of the sea, and Hiccup looked back at the door again, wondering if he'd be able to make it outside before his stomach contents committed suicide.

In Hiccup's opinion, they would probably be more pleasant coming up than they were going down.

He pushed his plate back. "That was…" _Fascinating. Horrible. Terrible. Haunting. Sickening. Disgusting. Awful. Deadful. Appalling. Horrific. Hideous. Horrendous. Gruesome. Vile. Unspeakable. Repulsive. Abhorrent. Repellent._ "Great," he settled on, despite the other more truthful words he wanted to spew.

Astrid looked thrilled, obviously oblivious to his lies. "Great!" she said. "I'm glad you liked it!"

Hiccup waved his hand.

"Oh, while you're here," Astrid said, "do you think you can help me out a bit?"

Hiccup nodded. _As long as you don't want me to taste test anymore "experiments."_ "Sure," he said. "What do you need help with?"

As it turned out, Astrid was creating maps of all the islands they had come across, filling notebook after notebook with idea after idea. "Fishlegs was helping me," she explained, "but you know your way around these islands better than any of us. You spend more time on dragonback than all of us combined."

Hiccup nodded, trying to keep his stomach controlled. It still and flipped and flopped via dinner, which Hiccup was sure would make a reappearance sometime later on. "Yeah," he said. "Sounds great."

They spent hours on the project, and with each hour that passed, Hiccup felt worse and worse until finally, after the third hour since having his "lovely" dinner, he knew he had to get out of there.

"Um, would-would you excuse me, just for a moment?" he said, cutting Astrid off while she was in the middle of her sentence. Without waiting for a response, he mumbled a hasty "Thanks" and made a break for the door.

He heard Astrid call after him, and just hoped she didn't follow him. Even when he heard her footsteps behind him, he couldn't bring himself to care. He stumbled outside, collapsed to his knees, and heaved.

He heard Astrid yelp his name from behind him, but he didn't turn to look at her. He felt her slapping his back, probably with more force than she meant to use, but he appreciated it nonetheless, even though this was Astrid's fault in the first place. Stupid three-types of fish with some sort of evil sauce to go over it…

He sat up once the wave of nausea had momentarily passed, swayed, and would have fallen flat on his back if Astrid hadn't caught him. She braced him to keep him from falling over, one hand against his chest while her other hand pressed against his forehead.

"It feels like you have a fever," she commented. Hiccup could hear the hidden worry in her tone, and was about to open his mouth to assure her it was nothing, when the nausea returned, and he pushed himself away from Astrid to be sick in the heather once again.

Oh, why did he eat _any_ of Astrid's homemade dish? Why? _Why? WHY!?_

"Hiccup!" Astrid yelped again, and once again, Hiccup didn't respond. Astrid knelt beside him, her hand on his back, clearly at a loss of what else to do. When his stomach finally calmed (kind of), Hiccup coughed and fell against Astrid tiredly, feeling unusually drained of energy.

The silence lasted a few moments, and then, Astrid whispered, "Oh Thor, Hiccup, I'm sorry."

Hiccup sighed. He was sorry, too.

When he finally thought he could move without being sick again, he slowly pushed himself until he was sitting up again, and, taking even more time, began rising to a shaky stand. Astrid rose to her feet beside him, and with luck (and with Astrid dragging Hiccup more than Hiccup was actually walking), they managed to get back to Hiccup's own hut.

Astrid helped Hiccup to his bed (unceremoniously, mind you, because she wasn't the most gentle person in the world) and left for downstairs again. When she returned, it was with two buckets. One empty one, which she set by the bed ( _Probably in case I throw up again,_ Hiccup reckoned), the other one full of water. Astrid pulled a cloth out of the water and laid it across Hiccup's forehead.

"You lied to me, didn't you?" she said, almost angrily although Hiccup could tell by her tone that she knew full-well what had happened and was trying to believe she was wrong.

But, unfortunately for the both of them, she wasn't wrong. Hiccup blinked up at Astrid blearily. His head was spinning, and his stomach was still doing some freak acrobatic act. "Y...yeah," he murmured tiredly. "Ex...except…'lied' is such a strong word…but...yeah. I think you gave me food poisoning."

Astrid looked down, and Hiccup suddenly realized the blatantness of what he had said, and he wished he could take it back and try a less obvious approach. However, another wave of nausea kicked in, and he sat up, pushing himself up on his elbow and leaning over the bucket, expelling whatever foul substance was left in his stomach.

Astrid looked even more concerned as he vomited now for the third time, and she sat next to him on the bed and held his bangs out of his face. When it finally ended, he flopped back miserably and sniffed.

"You could have just told me," Astrid said, once again, almost angrily. "I wouldn't have made you eat it."

Hiccup didn't agree, but he said nothing out loud. He was too busy not trying to upchuck again. "S'okay," he said. "The gratefulness on your face was worth it...uhg…" He dry heaved. He felt like he had to throw up again, yet his stomach had nothing left to expel, and dry heaving was painful. Astrid rubbed his back between his shoulder blades, and this time, she wasn't too harsh about it, and it actually helped Hiccup relax.

"Well, you're sweet," Astrid said, "but please, Hiccup, tell me next time, alright? Before all this happens, preferably."

Hiccup nodded.

"The best thing to do with this is just rest it off," Astrid shrugged casually. "Stay hydrated, drink lots of liquids, and maybe have some soup a little later on."

Hiccup turned a pale shade of green. "M-made by you?" he stuttered. "N-no thanks, I'd rather take my chances at getting worse."

Astrid punched his forearm, although the gesture was softer than it usually was, and Hiccup knew she did it intentionally. "Not made by me, I promise," she said. "I'll get Fishlegs to do it, or something. Don't you worry."

Hiccup sighed. She was still rubbing his shoulder blades, and it was relaxing and soothing. "Sorry," he said. "I'm sorry about-"

"It's not your fault," Astrid said. "I'm sorry I got snappy, or pushy. I was...trying to be nice." She looked down again. "I know that sounds weird, coming from me, but yeah. I was trying to do something nice for you."

Hiccup smiled weakly. "You had good intentions," he said. "It's alright, Astrid. I liked the enthusiasm. But...but I don't know if I'll be able to handle any more of your cooking, ever again-"

"Hiccup," Astrid cut him off. She gave him a stern, serious look, straight in the eyes. "I don't think I'll ever make anything for you ever again," she said.

Now Hiccup felt guilty for saying he wouldn't eat anything made by her, and he sighed. She had good intentions. She was trying to be nice to him, to be a good friend. She didn't know she would poison him. "You know what, Astrid," Hiccup said, "even if your cooking's the worst in the world, I'll still eat it…"

Astrid shoved her hand over his mouth. "No way," she said. "No, I would really rather _not_ kill you, Hiccup."

Hiccup smiled in relief. "Good," he said, "'cause…'cause I'd really rather not _die,_ either." He paused. "If you need any help," he said, "I-I might be able to give you a few tips...on cooking, or...or at least making sure the fish isn't raw."

Astrid smiled faintly. "Yeah," she said. "Yeah, sounds great, but for now, you should just get some rest. Sleep it off if you can. It shouldn't last very long. And I'll stop making dinners, Hiccup. No more meals. I'll just stick with the Yaknog."

Hiccup paled.

 _Uh oh._

"Um, actually, Astrid," he said, "your yaknog's pretty awful, too…"

This time, she punched his arm harder than the time before, but he didn't mind.

He kind of deserved it.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Haha, poor Astrid, and poor Hiccup. I still love it in "Gift of the Night Fury", when Astrid goes around Berk trying to give people her "frothy, delicious, cup of cheer."**

 **I feel especially sorry for unsuspecting Hiccup in that short. He couldn't even swallow it. XD**

 **I find it funny how in the first film, Hiccup swallowed raw fish while training Toothless, but in Gift of the Night Fury, he couldn't swallow Astrid's yaknog. HOW BAD DOES THAT STUFF TASTE!? XD**

 **Well, at least Astrid** _ **tried**_ **. :)**

 **Until next update!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	6. Appendicitis

**Title: Appendicitis**

 **Summary: Hiccup has appendicitis. Post-HTTYD2**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid, Valka**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship/Family**

 **Rating: K**

 **Requested by: Cloudjumper (Guest) and Rogue Dragon Rider.**

* * *

The morning was peaceful, and the morning air was even more so. It was calm and gentle, and Terrible Terrors sang on the rooftops, like they usually did in the mornings. As Astrid walked up the hill to Hiccup's house, she found herself believing that yes, the day was absolutely perfect.

It'd been only a few weeks since the battle against Drago, and yet, Berk had already recovered so much. Most of the giant spikes of ice had been moved away by dragons and Berkians, and with Toothless as the new Alpha, it couldn't have gone smoother.

And with Hiccup the new Chief of Berk, rebuilding what houses had been destroyed in the battle couldn't have gone any smoother, either. He spent his days shouting orders and helping his people haul planks of wood to use to rebuild with. He did a great job of it, really, he did, and Astrid was impressed with his leadership skills.

Well, she supposed, she'd always been impressed by his leadership skills, ever since the first time he led her and the other riders into battle, nearly five years ago, when they went up against the Red Death. Since then, Astrid had been seeing more and more of his leadership in action.

He led them to victory against Alvin the Treacherous, helped them in battle against Dagur the Deranged and the Berserkers, and now, he (with a little help from Toothless, of course) saved Berk from the villainy of Drago Bludvist and his dragon army.

The Berkians had been working with everything they had in them for weeks on end, and now, they were having a bit of a break. A few weeks of work, a week or two of break, and then right back to work. That was another thing Astrid liked about Hiccup: he knew when it was enough. He considered others over himself and recognized that, although Berkians were strong, adamant vikings, they were still people. They weren't immortals.

Well, in honesty, she liked just about everything about Hiccup. His sarcasm wasn't highly appreciated, although he'd been getting better at not using it as much as he did when he was young, and Astrid supposed it made sense. When he was younger, his sarcasm was more of a defense method than anything. Now that he was older, he didn't resort to sarcasm as much as he used to. Sometimes he went back to old habits, but the occasion was a seldom one.

She knocked on the door of the Haddock residence and waited patiently. The sun was up, which meant that, most likely, Hiccup was up, too. She was surprised when the door was opened not by Hiccup, but by Valka instead.

Astrid and Hiccup's mother had become very good friends in just the few weeks since Valka's return. Valka was trying really hard to be a good mother after twenty years of absence, and in Astrid's opinion, the woman was doing a fine job. Astrid knew Hiccup appreciated any help his mother could give him as well.

"Good morning, Astrid," Valka greeted. "What brings you here?"

"Good morning," Astrid greeted back. "I was looking for Hiccup. We planned to work on the map today." Hiccup always put time out of his busy schedule as Chief to spend time with Astrid, and Astrid appreciated that more than anything.

"Oh," Valka nodded. "Yes, he told me about that last night. Come in, Astrid." She stepped aside, and Astrid walked into the house. "Hiccup's still resting. I decided to let him sleep in a bit, because, well, you know how busy he's been the past few weeks."

Astrid nodded. Yes, she did know. Hiccup always pushed himself to the limit, and even then, he still didn't stop pushing himself. He kept himself going until eventually, he had to stop for the sake of his health.

"Okay, thank you," Astrid said. "I can come back later-"

"Oh, no need, Astrid," Valka assured. She crossed the room and stirred a pot over the fireplace - Astrid really didn't want to know what was in it. "I was just getting ready to go wake him, anyway. I made breakfast. Well…" She cast an apologetic glance at the concoction. "...At least, I tried to."

Astrid smiled sympathetically. "Well, if worst comes to worst," she said, "you and Hiccup could always go to the Great Hall to breakfast."

Valka nodded. "I think I just might, if this doesn't turn out to be edible," she said. "I'm still out of practice."

Astrid shook her head with a light chuckle. "That's alright," she said, "me, too. I'll go on up and get lazy bones out of bed." She jerked her head in the direction of the stairs, and once Valka nodded, Astrid headed up to Hiccup's loft.

"Hey, Hiccup!" she shouted cheerfully as she climbed the stairs. "The sun's shining, lazy! Time to wake up!"

When she reached the loft, she couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes. Hiccup was sleeping on his side, the blanket pulled up to his nose. Astrid didn't know how he slept like that. When she tried it, it always became too hard to breathe.

"Come on, sleepy head!" she said. "Time to get up!" She was about to continue shouting, when Hiccup moaned hoarsely. Generally, he didn't like being woken up, and back when they were younger, he always complained when Astrid came trumpeting into his room to wake him when he slept in.

But this didn't sound like a moan of annoyance.

It sounded more like a moan of _pain_.

Pain?

"Hiccup?" Astrid crossed the room in worried leaps, reaching the bedside in a remarkably short amount of time. She pulled the blanket away from Hiccup's face and gasped. She could see it now; he was pale, and his cheeks were red. She could tell he was awake, because his features were pinched in pain, and his teeth were clenched. He was shivering, although Astrid wasn't entirely sure why.

Astrid put hand on Hiccup's forehead. Her fear grew. "Valka!" she shouted, withdrawing her hand and racing back down the stairs. "VALKA!"

Hiccup's mother spun around to face Astrid the instant the Hofferson came running down the stairs, her feet pounding against the wood. Valka instantly dropped what she was doing and hurried forward urgently.

"What is it, Astrid?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

Astrid didn't miss a beat. "It's Hiccup," she said, desperately. "He's got a temperature, and it's high. It's too high, Valka-" She stopped abruptly when Valka hurried up the stairs, and without another moment to waste, Astrid followed her closely.

Valka hastened to Hiccup's side, kneeling on the floor beside the bed and pressing her hand to Hiccup's forehead. "Great Thor," she gasped. She moved her hand to Hiccup's shoulder and shook him. "Hiccup," she tried. "Hiccup, wake up." She shook him again and snapped her fingers in his face. "Hiccup!"

"I'll go get Gothi!" Astrid offered instantly, and she was down the stairs and out the door before Valka even had the chance to say anything else. As soon as Astrid was gone, Valka's focus returned to Hiccup.

"Hiccup." This time, she tried a softer approach. He didn't seem to be sleeping, because his eyes were squeezed shut tightly in pain, but he still wasn't responding. "Hiccup, look at me."

Now Hiccup responded, not by words, but by opening his eyes and looking directly into his mother's frightened eyes. He blinked drowsily. "Mom," he rasped.

Valka nodded. "Yes, son," she said. She felt his forehead again. His fever was definitely higher than she had previously thought it was, and it worried her greatly. Hiccup gulped and shut his eyes again, curling further into himself. "What's wrong?" Valka asked urgently. "What hurts, Hiccup?"

"M...my stomach," Hiccup managed to choke out through his clenched teeth.

"Do you need to be sick?"

Hiccup shook his head. "N-no, n-not really," he said. "It's...not...l-like that. It's...it's a sh-sharp...stabbing…" He stopped abruptly and hissed through his teeth. "It's n-not s-so bad…"

It was a lie, and it was one his mother saw straight through. He knew he was lying, and she also knew he was doing it for her sake, because he didn't want to worry her any more than she already was.

Well, he failed at that attempt. No one could have been fooled by Hiccup's "the pain isn't so bad" card at this point. Not even a _deaf_ Berkian would believe him, by his facial expressions, and a blind Berkian wouldn't believe him, either, because of the sound of his voice and the gasping, wheezing of his breath.

"You don't have to be brave with me, Hiccup," Valka said. "I'm your mother. I won't see you any stronger if you hide it, and I won't see you any weaker if you don't, alright? I'll be here for you either way."

Hiccup ducked down again with a hoarse whimper that sent a knife straight through Valka's heart. "I...I...I'll be okay," Hiccup groaned. "I'll...I-I'll be okay...hhnnn…" He whimpered again in a pathetic, high pitched voice that sounded as though it belonged to a frightened five year old.

Slowly, Valka reached out and brushed her fingers through Hiccup's hair. She could feel him shaking violently, and her heart broke again. However, he did seem to relax, if slightly, at her touch, and she continued, applying tentative, gentle pressure against Hiccup's scalp.

And Valka waited there helplessly, hoping and hoping and hoping that Gothi and Astrid arrived soon, for Hiccup's sake.

Gothi and Astrid _did_ arrive quickly, to Valka's great relief. Astrid was the first to climb the stairs and reach Hiccup's side with the elder of the village hot on her heels. Gothi could move surprisingly fast for her age when she wanted to.

"Is he worse!?" Astrid asked. Her fight was clear in her voice. She, much like Valka, had not seen Hiccup in this much pain for a long, long time. Not since his first phantom pains, which were gruesomely painful. She'd thought, when she first entered his room that morning, that maybe it was a phantom pain, but his fever...and, he was clutching his stomach, not his leg.

No one answered her, and she really hadn't been expecting much of an answer, either. She sat by Hiccup, feeling as helpless as all who were present.

Except, maybe, Gothi.

Gothi approached solemnly and gestured for them to lie Hiccup out on his back. Hiccup protested and moaned as Astrid and Valka obeyed the healer. Moving hurt so much, and being moved felt no better. He did feel a little better when Astrid grabbed his hands and gave him something to hold on to, but the pain was still growing steadily, and he squeezed Astrid's hands so hard he was afraid he'd break her fingers.

Of course, Astrid didn't care. Astrid squeezed his hands back in reassurance, not as tightly as he was constricting her fingers, but tight enough that it sent the silent message: _I'm here. Feel me holding your hands? I've gotcha._

Hiccup jerked as pain, fiercer than before, stabbed him right in the abdomen. His grip on Astrid's hands went even tighter. He didn't remember what it was like to relax, and to not be in pain.

Astrid knew that Hiccup was in pain, but when Gothi pressed lightly against his stomach, Astrid thought the elder only made everything worse. As if Hiccup wasn't already in enough pain as it was.

Astrid was about to snap at Gothi, only to stop just before she did. Gothi was just trying to help. She wasn't trying to cause Hiccup more pain.

Gothi stepped forward and looked down Hiccup's throat, for reasons Astrid didn't know and didn't want to find out. Gothi looked under his eyelids, felt his forehead, and hummed in what Astrid assumed was concern at his fever.

When the healer stepped away, she cast sand on the ground and began scribbling through it. Astrid knew enough of Gothi's runes that she could pretty much make out the elder's message.

"She says Hiccup has appendicitis," Astrid read aloud, and gasped as the reality of the words she'd spoken set in. She heard Valka gasp across from her as well, but she disregarded that and continued reading the runes Gothi continued to write. "She says he needs surgery, really soon, or he could die."

She wasn't so sure what to think about that, but the first thing that came to mind was the first thing she blurted out: "Give him the surgery, then!"

Why wait any longer if Hiccup's life was already on the line?

By the look on Valka's face as the woman continued carding her fingers through her son's sweaty hair, she agreed with Astrid wholeheartedly. She nodded at Gothi, and Gothi nodded back before leaving to gather necessary supplies.

If Hiccup heard any of their conversation over his pain, he didn't give any indication. He simply moaned and wheezed, "What'd she say…?"

"You need surgery," Astrid said, trying to remain calm for his sake. "Right now, Hiccup. Gothi will be back with her supplies soon."

Hiccup sucked in another sharp breath. To her surprise, he didn't protest, at all, really. "Okay," he moaned. He cracked his eyes open and stared directly up at her. "You're...you're worried, aren't you?"

Yes, Astrid was worried, and she knew Valka was worried, too. She knew there was no hiding it from Hiccup, so instead of denying it, she simply sighed, and nodded. "Yeah," she admitted. "I'm worried. Both of us are."

"I'll...I'll be okay," Hiccup assured. "I promise. D-don't worry."

He must have been in too much pain to care what the reason for the surgery was as long as, in the end, it took his pain away, or maybe he didn't fully understand what Astrid had told him. Astrid was leaning towards the first option, in honesty.

They waited there, all three of them, none of them saying anything. The only sounds were Hiccup's labored breathing and pained moans that jarred Astrid's heartstrings and made her want to rip her hair out in fury towards her inability to _do something_.

When Gothi returned, it was with two of her assistant healers and satchels filled with the tools needed for the surgery. Astrid really didn't want to think about it.

One of the healers pulled a vial from their satchel, followed by a thick cloth. The healer poured some of the contents of the vial into the fabric, and handed it to Valka.

"Hold it over his nose," the healer instructed. "It should put him to sleep."

Astrid really didn't like that term, especially used in a situation such as this, but she did not correct the healer. Instead, she watched in sad remorse as Valka nodded and pressed the sickly-sweet-smelling fabric over Hiccup's nose and mouth.

Hiccup tensed instantly, his breathing going even more ragged. Astrid held his hands in her own while whispering soothing nothings, "It's okay, it's okay, relax, relax, Hiccup. Calm down. Deep breaths." Across from her, Valka was whispering similar, soothing, soft words.

At long last, after five long seconds that felt as though they could have been five long hours, Hiccup's eyes slid shut, and his head lolled back against his pillow. He looked completely relaxed, although Astrid could tell he was anything but.

Valka waited another moment or two just to make sure Hiccup was fully out before she removed the cloth and set it aside. Astrid knew that now, she and Valka had done all they could, and it was time for them to leave and let the healers work.

So, reluctant as they were to comply, Astrid and Valka argued not when they were told they had to wait outside (or at least downstairs) while they performed the surgery. Astrid understood; it probably took an insane amount of concentration. For Thor's sake, they were going to be _cutting someone's abdomen open_ and _removing_ a _part of the body._

She just hoped everything went well.

For Hiccup's sake.

…

It was nightfall when Gothi and her assistants stepped back down the stairs, their equipment packed back inside their satchels and slung over their shoulders. Valka and Astrid leapt from their seats and sprang forward, eager to hear how it had gone.

"The surgery was successful," one of the healers answered, and Astrid wanted to shout in relief. "Nothing strenuous for two weeks, and even then, make sure he's careful. He should be fine, but if his fever doesn't go down within the hour, let us know."

Valka nodded. As soon as the healers had left, Valka and Astrid turned and bolted up the stairs. Astrid was the first to make it to his side; he was still pale, but healthy color was returning to his face. Right now, he was still out cold, but Astrid knew that the herbs were bound to wear off any moment now. She took his hand in both her own and kissed his forehead.

Slowly, Hiccup's eyes slipped open, and after a moment of blinking up at Valka and Astrid in confusion, he smiled tiredly.

"I told you I'd be okay," he whispered.

Valka smiled back. "Yes, you did," she said. "You just need to rest and take it easy for a while so you hurt yourself."

Normally, Hiccup would have protested, but he knew that he had to recover from the surgery, or else, he really _could_ hurt himself, and his people would be without a Chief for an even longer time. A few weeks of bedrest beat a few months of treatment for certain.

"Alright," he finally said with a sigh. He didn't like being bedridden, but now, he didn't have the choice, and even he knew that much. "Thank you. B-both of you." He squeezed Astrid's hands, and she squeezed back.

Astrid stroked his dampened with sweat hair away from his eyes and felt his forehead again. "You still feel pretty warm," she commented, smoothing his hair back out of his face.

Hiccup leaned in to her cool hand and sighed. "Yeah," he murmured. "'suppose I do."

"You should rest, son," Valka offered. "It'll help make you-"

Hiccup shut his eyes and was asleep before she could even finish her thought.

"-Feel better," Valka finished lamely.

Astrid laughed softly. Valka rose to a stand. "Well then," she said, "I'll try and see if I can make something light for him to eat, incase he feels up to it. Or, maybe I should just go get something from the Great Hall."

Astrid nodded. "I'll stay with him," she promised.

Valka nodded. "Thank you, Astrid," she said, and then, she was gone, down the stairs and out the door an instant later.

Astrid kissed Hiccup's cheek and smiled softly. "Love you," she whispered.

She had been sure he was sleeping, but then, Hiccup cracked one eye open and smiled faintly. "Love you, too," he whispered back.

And Astrid's smile grew.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Blarg. Blargidy blargidy blleeeeeeehhhhh. I had to do quite a bit of research on appendicitis, but I think it was worth it. I'm pretty satisfied with this. I don't know if you guys like it, or not, or whatever...you really don't have to like anything I write, honestly. ;)**

 **So, requested by Cloudjumper (Guest), and Rogue Dragon Rider, so I really hope they liked it. They said I could do it in either the RTTE setting, or in post-HTTYD2 setting, and I chose the latter, since I've done quite a few RTTE themes and have a lot of RTTE setting requests.**

 **So, yeah. That just about sums it up. :)**

 **Until next update!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	7. You Can't Listen to Snotlout

**Title: You Can't Listen to Snotlout**

 **Summary: Hiccup is a curious six year old with a six year old cousin who would do anything to harm Hiccup, even if that means getting Hiccup to eat a poisonous berry while they're in the woods.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Stoick**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family**

 **Rating: K**

 **Requested by: lutavero**

* * *

Hiccup didn't like Snotlout for many reasons.

So, when his father was extremely busy one day and Spitelout offered to watch Hiccup for the day while Stoick worked, Hiccup was less than thrilled.

"Do I have to go, Dad?" he whined, clinging to his father's leg and refusing to let go. Spitelout and Snotlout stood across from them, Snotlout giving Hiccup the "look" that Hiccup knew meant trouble. He yelped and held tighter to Stoick's leg, scared to let go.

Stoick bent down and tried to untangle Hiccup's arms from around his leg, and he did so easily. "Yes, Hiccup," he said. "Just for today, alright?"

Snotlout snickered.

Hiccup wanted to hide so desperately. His cousin was mean. His cousin didn't care what happened to Hiccup. Hiccup didn't like his cousin's company, and now, hearing that he would be spending the entire day with Snotlout just freaked the almost seven-year-old out.

"Dad-" Hiccup pleaded.

"Go on, Hiccup," he said, giving Hiccup a small, encouraging shove towards Snotlout and Spitelout. "I'll see you later on tonight, alright?"

Hiccup didn't want to argue with his father. He knew it wasn't respectful. So, his shoulders slumping, he nodded slowly, turned, and stepped in front of Snotlout while Stoick left in the opposite direction.

"Come on, Hiccup," Snotlout said, his fat fingers snaking around Hiccup's skinny wrist. "I have an idea. We're going to have so much fun today, aren't we, baby cousin?"

Hiccup gulped, afraid to argue yet afraid to find out what Snotlout meant.

"Don't be away too long, Snotlout," Spitelout said. "And be careful."

"We will be!" Snotlout said innocently. "Come on, Hiccup!" He began running, purposely faster than Hiccup could run, so he was dragging Hiccup more than anything. Hiccup tried to keep up, but that proved to be impossible, too. He still tried his hardest regardless.

Snotlout raced straight into Raven Point. Hiccup spent a lot of time in Raven Point, but he never went very deep into the forest. So, when Snotlout continued pulling him, further and further, deeper and deeper into Raven Point, Hiccup started protesting.

"Wait," he said. "I don't think we should go all the way in here, Snotlout." He tried to wriggle away from Snotlout's grasp, but Snotlout only held tighter in response.

"Don't be a sour egg, Hiccup," Snotlout said. "We're going to have fun, remember? I found these really cool looking berries, and I want you to see them, too."

Hiccup paused. Berries? And better yet, cool looking berries? Hiccup was smart, yes, but his curiosity often got the best of him. "Berries?" he asked.

Snotlout nodded eagerly. "Oh, yes," he said. "I think you're going to like them, Hiccup." Snotlout stopped suddenly and jerked Hiccup to the ground, whether he meant to or not. Hiccup didn't fall very hard, and managed to get up almost as soon as he fell.

"Here we are!" Snotlout announced. He took a step forward, and Hiccup followed him closely.

Yes, there _were_ berries, and they _did_ look cool. Hiccup tilted his head at them and took another step forward, in front of Snotlout. "They _are_ cool," Hiccup said.

Snotlout nodded. "You know," he said, "if you want, you can eat them."

Hiccup looked back at Snotlout. Eat them? That sounded fun. "Really?" he asked. "You sure they aren't poisonous?"

Snotlout nodded. "Oh, of course they aren't!" he said. "I wouldn't lie to my little cousin, would I? I'm sure they taste great!"

Unfortunately, Hiccup forgot that Snotlout was _indeed_ a liar, and a big one at that. So, he did the only thing any six-year-old in his place would do.

He ate the berries.

...

Stoick was up late, sitting at the table in the main room of their house, reading over some paperwork he had to finish. Two candles, almost out of wax and wick to burn, sat on the table and gave off just enough light for Stoick to work. Stoick was never a big reader, of course, which made reading over paperwork such as this an even less enjoyable task.

He'd been working on paperwork most the day, and he was glad that his brother, Spitelout, had offered to watch Hiccup for him while he worked. Hiccup was only six (or, six and three quarters, according to Hiccup. His birthday was next month), but the boy could get into more trouble than Stoick ever thought was possible. Working with his son in the same room with him would be a truly impossible task, so he was grateful to his brother.

Spitelout had dropped Hiccup off about an hour ago, when it was dark, and Stoick had sent his son off to bed. It had been late already, and way past the lad's bedtime, so, to Stoick's surprise and relief, Hiccup hadn't protested when he was told to go to bed. Normally, the boy would whine like mad when he was told it was time to sleep, and when he stopped whining, he would beg his father to read to him (which wasn't one of Stoick's best interests, since he wasn't a big reader). Sometimes, Stoick did, while other times, he was just a bit too busy with paperwork or other tasks he had to complete as Chief of the village.

Ah, well. Hiccup was a good lad with all good intentions, and he understood when Stoick was busy, which was a relief. At least Hiccup knew that Stoick wasn't trying to neglect him. Hiccup was a smart boy.

Stoick was just about to start on the final, thankfully small stack of papers when he heard soft, tentative footsteps creeping down the stairs. Stoick looked over his shoulder as Hiccup slowly stepped down the stairs and onto the main floor of the house.

"Hiccup," Stoick said. "What are you doing up, lad? It's past your bedtime."

"I can't sleep," Hiccup murmured tiredly. He shuffled over and stood beside his father. "I don't feel good."

Stoick couldn't help but sigh heavily. It was never pretty when Hiccup got sick, but the worst part about it was the helpless feeling Stoick felt when he watched his son in his misery.

"Alright," Stoick said. "Come here, son."

Hiccup, almost desperately, climbed into his father's lap and rested his head against Stoick's chest. Hiccup was always overly clingy when he was sick, and sometimes, he just had to be held. He was still a young boy, after all. Even though Stoick was the Chief, he was also Hiccup's father, and the only person (besides maybe Gobber) who could take care of him when he was ill.

"I'm just going to finish up here," Stoick said, "and then we'll see what we can do, alright?" At the same time, he was still the Chief, and he had to finish this. He only had about two more papers to go over. It wouldn't take more than a few minutes.

Stoick skim read most of the paperwork, his mind focused on Hiccup while his eyes tried (and failed) to focus on the paper. He smoothed Hiccup's hair back off his face, and Hiccup nuzzled against him like a frightened kitten finding a safe haven. Stoick couldn't help but worry. Hiccup had a fever, and it wasn't a very low fever.

"Mn'kay," Hiccup murmured. "I don't feel good…"

Stoick tried to read faster, until he read the paper three times and still didn't know what it meant. He sighed. He was too worried about Hiccup right now to read. He couldn't help but worry. He was a father, it was his job to worry and to take care of his son.

Besides...he had been doing paperwork all day. He could take a break, take care of Hiccup, and then finish up his work in the morning. The paperwork could wait, but Stoick didn't think Hiccup could.

He set the papers down and wrapped his now free arm around Hiccup. "Come on, Hiccup," he said, rising to a stand with Hiccup cradled against his chest. "Let's get you to bed."

Once again, Hiccup didn't protest. That explained why Hiccup had no problem getting to bed earlier. He was sick. Anyone who was sick would want to lie down, and Hiccup was one of those people who never told anyone openly when he was sick.

Not until it got really, really bad.

Stoick tried to think of ways Hiccup could have gotten sick. There wasn't an outbreak of the flu on Berk; there hadn't been an outbreak for a while now. So, what was it?

Stoick thought that maybe, the best thing to do would just be to ask Hiccup what he did today. "So, did you have fun with Snotlout?" he asked, trying to keep the conversation light. If Hiccup still tried to convince himself and his father that he wasn't unwell, the best thing to do was to start by asking unsuspecting questions.

"N-no," Hiccup murmured as Stoick climbed the last steps to his loft and set Hiccup down on his bed.

"Why not?" Stoick asked.

"S-Snotlout's mean," Hiccup said. When Stoick sat down beside him on the bed, Hiccup curled against his father's side. "I don't like him."

Hiccup must have felt really sick if he was trying to cuddle, and Stoick tried not to show his worry openly. Hiccup was a very friendly little boy who always tried to get along. If he didn't like Snotlout, it had nothing to do with Hiccup. It was all about Snotlout and his characteristics.

"Why don't you, son?" Stoick asked. Unsuspecting questions, indeed.

"He doesn't like me," Hiccup said. "He pretends he does, but he doesn't. He told me these berries tasted good, but they didn't taste good. They tasted bad. Really bad."

Stoick froze. Berries? "What berries?" he asked.

"J-just some berries in Raven Point," Hiccup said. "I t-told Snotlout not to go into Raven Point, but he didn't listen. He didn't let go of me. He dragged me into the forest and told me the berries tasted good, but they-"

At this point, Stoick tuned his son out. They didn't have any wild, deadly poisonous berries or plants with berries on Berk, but that didn't mean none of them were _poisonous_ , because most (if not all) of them were. Not deadly poisonous, but poisonous enough to make someone sick.

Especially a young, innocent, unsuspicious boy like Hiccup.

"-and then, Snotlout dragged me back out of Raven Point," Hiccup finished, and Stoick realized that Hiccup was still explaining. "He...he kept smiling, though...and he didn't tell me why…"

Stoick sighed. "The berries weren't good, Hiccup," he said. "They made you sick."

Hiccup paused. "They did?"

Stoick nodded. He didn't want to use the word "poison", simply because he did not want to startle his son. "Yes, they did," he said. "I think Snotlout did it on purpose."

Oh, Snotlout was going to _get it…_

Hiccup sniffed. "I don't like Snotlout," Hiccup whimpered, nestling against his father's side again. "H-he's mean…"

Stoick had never been particularly fond of Snotlout, mainly because Snotlout was so, well, mean to Hiccup. Hiccup didn't deserve to be treated badly just because Snotlout was a jerk.

But now...getting Hiccup to eat poisonous berries...that was just taking it too far.

"I know, son," Stoick said, smoothing Hiccup's hair back again. "I know, I'm sorry."

Hiccup sniffled again. "I don't wanna hang out with S-Snotlout anymore."

"Trust me, Hiccup. You won't be hanging out with Snotlout for a _long_ time."

Hiccup sighed in relief and relaxed. "T-thanks, Daddy."

The silence returned for a few moments before Hiccup whimpered again and spoke. "My stomach hurts, Daddy," Hiccup whimpered.

"I'm sure it does, son," Stoick said. "I'm sorry. Here…" He shifted from his position, and Hiccup sat up. "Would you like to sleep with me, Hiccup?" Stoick asked. In honesty, Stoick probably would have appreciated it more than Hiccup, because Stoick wanted to keep a close eye on his son, especially now.

He hoped Hiccup agreed. He was pretty sure he would.

Just as he thought, Hiccup nodded, and Stoick scooped him into his arms and carried him back downstairs and to his own room. As soon as Hiccup laid down, Stoick laid beside him, and Hiccup turned, curling against Stoick's chest and closing his eyes.

"Thank you," Hiccup whispered.

He was asleep before Stoick could even reply, but regardless, Stoick wrapped his arms around his boy and kissed his forehead.

"You're welcome," he whispered back.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **A few of you had some questions about requests, so,** _ **IF YOU HAVE REQUESTS FOR A STORY, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING**_.

 **For starters, I do not ship Hiceather (Hiccup/Heather), although I do have an alternate universe where Hiccup and Heather are actually brother and sister, so if you want to request a Hiccup Heather story, I will automatically write it in that universe and have a lot of family bonding.**

 **Second: I DO NOT SHIP TOOTHCUP. I don't even want to know ANYTHING about that ship! I don't know how it would work, how you would do it, but NO, NO, NO. Someone asked for a Hiccup and Toothless bonding one-shot and insisted that I didn't put Toothcup in it, so I just wanted to let everyone know that I DO NOT SHIP TOOTHCUP IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM. PERIOD. EVER.**

 **Thirdly: If you have a request for a modern AU one-shot, it's fine with me if you want to request it.**

 **Fourthly: One thing that would help me tremendously is, with your request, give me a bit more details. For instance, instead of requesting "Hiccup gets poisoned" or "Hiccup gets hurt", you could say, "Hiccup gets poisoned by a new species of dragon" or "Hiccup is hurt by Dagur". If you didn't do this, that's completely okay. I'm just saying, that way, I can have a better idea at what it is I am trying to write and give you all a better one-shot in the end. :)**

 **Fifthly: Please do not post reviews voting for other people's requests. No matter the votes, I will write what I think I would enjoy writing the most. The votes really don't do anything, and it's a tad bit annoying at times.**

 **Also: You don't have to limit your requests to** _ **just**_ **Hiccstrid. You can do mother/son bonding, father/son bonding, blacksmith/apprentice bonding...just about anything. You can be creative. ;)**

 **Also: Right now, I'm really not writing Romance stories. I'm sorry about that. :(**

 **Aaaand...that's about it. Thank you all! :D**

 **Until next update!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	8. Have Yourself a Very Merry Snoggletog

**Title: Have Yourself a Merry Snoggletog**

 **Summary: Snoggletog is a wonderful time of year for the Berkians. It isn't always easy, of course, but they always have a good time regardless. However, one Snoggletog, Hiccup becomes deathly ill, and the Berkians are anything but merry.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid, Stoick**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family/Friendship**

 **Rating: K**

 **Requested by: waistcoat35**

* * *

The morning was filled with the whoops of Berkians wishing each other a "Happy Snoggletog." Even though the holiday wasn't coming for another day, they were still cheerful as ever.

As Stoick put on his helmet downstairs, he glanced up the stairway towards his son's loft. On a normal day, Hiccup wouldn't be there. Instead, he would have been off with his friends at Dragon's Edge, but Hiccup and the other riders had decided that they would come and stay on Berk over the annual holiday.

Honestly, Stoick couldn't have been more happy. He missed his son, he really did, especially when Stoick didn't see him for a few weeks, which normally happened to be the case.

"Come on, son!" Stoick called, setting his helmet atop his head. "Time to get up!" Normally, Hiccup would be out and about by this time, often times before Stoick even woke up. But Stoick also knew that he and the other riders had flown thirty two hours straight. They'd arrived at Berk the previous night, worn out and utterly exhausted, yet happy at the return to their home.

Stoick wouldn't blame Hiccup if he wanted to sleep in a bit, but actually, it was already pretty late in the morning. The other riders would probably be waiting for Hiccup somewhere by now.

"Hiccup?" Stoick called again. Silence rewarded his efforts. Sighing heavily, and rather regretting his decision to wake Hiccup, he climbed the stairs and stepped into his son's room.

Toothless was sleeping on his stone slab in the corner, his wings tucked to his sides and his tail curling around his body like a snoozing kitten. Hiccup was sleeping in his bed, the blankets pulled around his shoulders.

Toothless lifted his head as soon as Stoick entered the room, and after a moment, Hiccup's eyes opened, and he gazed up at his father through his messy bangs, although he didn't move further.

"Dad," he said.

However, something sounded wrong. Hiccup's voice had a rasp to it, not the rasp of drowsiness, but the rasp of an illness. Stoick paused, and then, he crossed the room. "Is something wrong, Hiccup?" he asked.

He didn't wait for Hiccup's response. He put his hand against Hiccup's forehead. He felt warmer than what was healthy. "Are you feeling alright, son?" he asked.

Hiccup's eyelids drooped. "I dunno," he murmured. "It just...all of a sudden, I…"

Toothless came forward to investigate, and as soon as he sniffed his rider, he sneezed and ducked his head. Stoick knew that that wasn't a good sign, especially coming from Toothless.

"You feel pretty warm, son," Stoick said.

Hiccup shrugged. "I'm sure it's nothin'," he said. "Don't worry. I'll just...sleep for a little longer…"

"Right." Stoick rested his hand heavily on Hiccup's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "You do that. I'm going to check on the village, and then, I'll be back, alright?"

He wasn't thrilled about leaving, but he knew his son would be alright with Toothless, and he knew he had to check on the village, anyways, just to make sure no one was fighting (although he honestly doubted that very much. Hardly anyone bickered around Snoggletog).

Hiccup nodded, and after pulling an extra blanket over Hiccup, Stoick left.

The first of the dragon riders he saw was Astrid, and Astrid was giving Stormfly a basket of fish, struggling with it little. She lifted her head in Stoick's direction and waved in his direction.

"Good morning, Chief!" she greeted. "Have you seen Hiccup? He was supposed to help me distribute this fish to some of the other riders." As she spoke, she tossed fish after fish in Stormfly's direction, and Stormfly gobbled each fish up as soon as they came close enough.

Stoick sighed. Hiccup had mentioned something of that nature last night before bed. "Yes, he did mention helping you and the other riders," he said, "but, unfortunately, I don't think he'll be able to help you today."

Astrid blinked her blue eyes in confusion. "What? Why not?" she asked.

"He's got a fever," Stoick explained, trying to keep his concern out of his voice. Hiccup's fever didn't feel very high. He was pretty certain he was worrying over nothing. Hiccup would be fine. "I'm sure he's fine, but he should rest."

"Wait." Astrid tossed a fish to Stormfly, but she was so off aim that Stormfly had to lunge to the left in an attempt to catch it, and even then, the fish flopped over her snout in the end. She tried to lick it off with her tongue, which just barely wasn't long enough.

"You mean he's sick?" Astrid asked. "He was fine yesterday."

Stoick nodded. Aside from being tired, Hiccup _was_ fine yesterday when they arrived at Berk. Maybe that was all it was. Maybe the illness wasn't so much an illness, instead his exhaustion making him sick.

"He should be fine," he said. "Give 'im some time, and he'll be back on his feet. Er, well, foot, anyways."

Astrid smiled, although the concern and confusion didn't leave her eyes. "Would you mind if I went to and saw him?" she asked. "You know, not that I'm worried, or anything, I just...well...you know."

Stoick nodded. "Yes, I understand," he said. "You're definitely welcome to go see him, Astrid. He could probably use the company. Just so long as you let him rest. He doesn't need to be up talking."

Astrid nodded. Stoick trusted Astrid, and he knew she wouldn't be a hinderance to Hiccup's getting better. In fact, she would benefit him more than anything, probably. Hiccup was quite fond of Astrid, and Astrid was quite fond of him in return.

After a quick "Thank you", Astrid turned and headed towards the Chief's house while Stoick worked to finish his rounds on Skullcrusher. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could get Gothi to go take a look at Hiccup.

He was still worried, after all.

…

"Hiccup?" Astrid called as she stepped into the house. She winced when she remembered that he was probably sleeping and wasn't supposed to be woken up, yet she felt a little better when Hiccup's awake voice shouted back to her.

"Astrid?" he said back in a quiet, confused voice. His one word was followed by a few raspy coughs, and Astrid wasted no time in heading upstairs to see her friend. She crossed the room to reach his side and laid a hand on his shoulder, just to get his attention.

He blinked up at her in confusion. His reflexes were slower when he was ill. "Wh-what are you doing here?" he murmured, although he didn't sound very upset or even fully confused. If anything, he sounded relieved.

Astrid sat down on the edge of the bed and ran her fingers lightly through his sweaty hair. Stoick wasn't kidding when he said Hiccup had a fever. "Your Dad told me you were sick," she said. "When did it set in, Hiccup?"

Hiccup leaned into her hand and sighed. "Last night," he said. "After we landed, just...all of a sudden…"

Astrid sighed and shook her head. "You should have told someone, Hiccup," she said.

Hiccup shut his eyes slowly. "I was going to," he said, "but...but I figured it was just because we were flying for so long...everyone felt a little airsick, and we were all tired, to say the least…"

Astrid sighed. Of course Hiccup would deny it. "All the same," she said, "you should have at least mentioned it." She caressed his cheek, and he leaned his face into her palm.

Toothless nuzzled Hiccup's hand, and Hiccup laughed. "Aww, are you not getting all the attention?" he asked in a lighthearted voice. Toothless purred and licked Hiccup's hand. Hiccup scowled, but didn't protest further. He rested his hand over Toothless' forehead and sighed, shutting his eyes again.

As soon as he was asleep, his chest rising and falling shakily, coughing sometimes, even in the depths of his sleep, Astrid felt his forehead again.

Was it just her, or was his fever rising?

…

Gothi and Stoick arrived hours later, and by the time they did, Hiccup had grown progressively worse. He was never fully asleep, but at the same time, he was never fully awake, either. He coughed almost continuously, and although he was sweating profusely from his high fever now, he laid completely still and deathly pale.

As soon as Stoick caught sight of his son, he became certain that this wasn't just from Hiccup being fatigued. No, this was a full blown virus, no matter what it was or what the cause of it was.

"Hiccup," Stoick whispered, and he crossed the room instantly and sat beside Hiccup on the bed, sitting across from Astrid. He rested his hand on Hiccup's forehead and gripped his son's hand. His fingers felt like ice, but his forehead was burning.

Gothi shooed both Astrid and Stoick away, much to their dismay, and began the examination. She started by prying Hiccup's mouth open and looking down his throat, her old, withered eyes full of odd concern. She put her hand on Hiccup's forehead, frowned at his fever, and then took his hand to feel his pulse.

Behind her, Stoick and Astrid watched worriedly.

Gothi released Hiccup's hand again and laid her head over his chest, pressing her ear over where his heart would be. She waited there for a moment, and then put her ear over his left lung, listening to his breathing, and then the right lung. Hiccup coughed twice, as he'd done so many times that day, and Gothi frowned.

She stood back, grabbed her staff again, scattered a pile of dirt onto the floor, and began writing runes into the sand. Stoick stepped forward to read what she was writing while Astrid returned to Hiccup's side, grasping his cold hand in hers.

"She says his illness is rare and isn't contagious," Stoick read. "But, she also says that...it's a deadly illness."

He froze dead in his reading, and Astrid's head snapped up in their direction, her eyes wide and full of horror. "What?" she whispered.

Stoick shifted his gaze and continued reading, hoping to read something concerning the cure for his son's ailment. "She says that it _could_ be deadly," he said. "He has a fifty to fifty chance of survival either way. It's a fast moving illness, so tomorrow morning, he'll either be better, or…"

 _Dead_ , the last rune said, although Stoick didn't dare read it out loud. He didn't need to, either. Astrid already knew what he was going to say, and by the looks in her eyes, it terrified her as much as it terrified Stoick.

"And there's nothing we can do?" she said, almost desperately. Gothi shook her head. "There has to be something!" Astrid insisted pleadingly. "Some sort of medicine, or herb!"

Gothi shook her head sadly, and that said it all.

There was nothing they could do.

Nothing but wait, and hope that Hiccup pulled through.

As soon as Gothi left, Astrid rose to her feet. "I'm going to get some water," she said. "I'll break that fever of his if it's the last thing I do." She grabbed a bucket with more force than necessary and raced downstairs again, making a break for the well.

In the meantime, Stoick sat by his son's bedside and gently moved Hiccup's hair away from his closed eyes. Hiccup murmured incoherently and leaned into his father's cool hand, and Stoick sighed.

"Oh, son," he shook his head. "How did it come to this?" He smoothed Hiccup's hair subconsciously, like he used to do when Hiccup was little and caught a cold or the flu. Toothless watched the father and son in a mix of confusion and concern.

"You'll be fine, Hiccup," Stoick said, although he was pretty certain Hiccup couldn't hear him. "You'll be just fine."

…

It was nighttime when Stoick finally told Astrid she should leave for some rest herself.

Astrid hadn't left Hiccup's side at all the entire day. For the most part, she kept her fingers entwined with his, her other hand constantly stroking his sweaty hair or feeling his temperature, which had risen to a dangerous level now.

"Astrid," Stoick said, "you should go get some rest. You've been here all day, you deserve-"

Astrid shook her head, clutching Hiccup's hand desperately. "No," she said. "No, please, Stoick. I can't leave him, not now. Just look at him." She looked back at Hiccup sadly, taking in his pale features, closed eyes, and flushed cheeks. She looked up at Stoick. "He's in pain, Stoick," she said. "You can't make me leave him." Although she had meant it to be demanding, it came out more as a plead. "Please don't make me leave him."

Stoick sighed, but nodded. He understood Astrid's fears. He really, honestly did. "Alright," he said. He grabbed the bucket by the bedside. It had once been filled with cold water used to keep Hiccup's fever down, but now, the water was warm due to multiple re-wets of the cloth placed on Hiccup's forehead. "I'm going to get some more water," Stoick said. Afterwards, he left.

Astrid held Hiccup's hand in both her own, and she closed her eyes, her head bowed. "Please, Hiccup," she implored. "Please, please, _please_ fight through this. You can make it. You _can_. You just have to keep fighting."

She sighed heavily.

"Please, Hiccup," she said again. "I can't stand to lose you, especially not like this. Snoggletog is tomorrow. You can't go. We need you, Hiccup. All of us." She looked over at Toothless, who was watching Astrid and his rider with his posture drooped in obvious concern.

"You aren't going to die on me, Hiccup," Astrid said in a commanding tone. "You wouldn't die on me, would you? If you die on me, you know what happens. I flatten you, alright? If you die, I will flatten you, hear me? So, please don't die."

She was trying to hold back her tears now. She never cried, not really, or at least not in front of anyone. In private, yes, but not in front of anyone. But right now, she couldn't have cared less what people thought of her. Hiccup was dying. She was allowed to cry about that.

"I don't know if you can hear me or not," Astrid said, "but...well...I don't know what I'd do without you, alright? You're just so...so...so stupidly adorable and sensitive and dorky, and I love you, get it?"

She sighed. No response, just as she had thought.

"I really don't care whether or not you heard any of that," Astrid went on, "but it doesn't matter. As long as you pull through, I'll be okay, alright? Just, keep fighting, okay, Dragon Boy?" She grabbed the hem of the blanket and pulled it around his shoulders subconsciously. "I'll be here when you wake up." She squeezed his hand tightly in reassurance for him, and for herself.

And, she wasn't positive, but she was pretty sure she felt Hiccup squeeze her hand back.

…

When Hiccup woke up the next morning, he wasn't quite sure what he expected he would feel like.

The previous day, he'd felt like death - literally. He didn't know how to describe it, but he felt...gone. Like only part of him was still alive while the other part of him died off somehow. He knew it sounded completely insane, but that was the only way he knew how to describe what he'd felt while he had been ill.

He looked over to the side. His head throbbed with a mild headache, and to his relief, he didn't feel nauseated, and his chest no longer felt tight as it had the previous day. He felt sore and exhausted, but other than that, remarkably okay considering all that had happened.

Astrid was sitting on a stood beside the bed, leaning back against the wall, her eyes closed. Her hand was holding his loosely, and he couldn't help but smile softly.

"You tired there, milady?" he asked. He'd expected his voice to come out raspy or thick, but instead, his voice sounded, surprisingly, the way it always sounded.

As soon as he spoke, Astrid jerked out of her slumber, rubbing her eyes and shaking her head. She blinked around in confusion for a moment, but then, as soon as her eyes met Hiccup's, her face was overwhelmed by what looked like joy.

 _"HICCUP!"_ she shrieked, and before he even had the chance to stop her, she lunged at him and snaked her arms around his shoulders, squeezing him so tightly he was sure she'd break something (break a bone of his, not a bone of hers).

Hiccup laughed as best as he could while being accidently strangled by Astrid and patted her head awkwardly. "Yeah," he said. "Hi."

Astrid pulled back abruptly again, her fingers enclosing into a death grip on his shoulders. "Hi!?" she repeated. "You almost die and the only thing you have to say for yourself is 'Hi'!?"

Hiccup sighed. "Well, I could try a more formal approach, if you really want me to," he said. He cleared his throat. "Why, hello, my dear-"

"Shut up!" Astrid hugged him again, tighter than before. "Just shut up."

He listened to her.

He was kind of afraid not to.

When she pulled away, she rubbed her eyes. "We were so worried," she said. "We...we didn't know if you would make it, and you...you just kept getting sicker last night, and…" She shuddered and shook her head. "Nevermind."

Hiccup looked outside, and then back at her. "It's morning, isn't it?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.

Astrid nodded.

"Okay," Hiccup said. "I guess, in that case, I should wish you a happy Snoggletog, shouldn't I?"

Astrid smiled and shook her head. "Seriously, Hiccup," she said. "I don't get you. You're the one just narrowly avoiding death, and the only thing you can think about is wishing me a happy Snoggletog?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "You might say it was because I'm…" He smirked. "Stupidly adorable." He winked.

Astrid's eyes widened. "You heard that!?" she blurted.

Hiccup shrugged innocently once again. "One of many things I heard," he said.

Astrid blinked. "You so deserve a punch."

"I know. And since we're already being so brutally honest, I love you, too."

Astrid sighed. "Well, I guess I can't punch you now, can I," she said. "At least not until you've recovered fully."

Hiccup nodded. Although he felt loads and loads better than he had before, he still wasn't completely well, and he knew it. "All joking aside, Astrid," Hiccup said, "I heard everything you said, and I just have to say...well...thank you. It really meant a lot to me."

Astrid smiled. "Aw. Now you're just dramatizing it."

Hiccup shook his head. "No, I mean it, Astrid," he said. "I don't think I would have been able to hold on if it hadn't been for you. Thank you."

Astrid's smile only grew. "Well, you're welcome, Dragon Boy," she said.

Hiccup opened his mouth to say something, when suddenly, his father raced up the stairs, looking tired and beyond relieved. "My son!" he shouted, and before Hiccup could even brace himself, Stoick had him in an embrace even tighter than Astrid's. He sucked in a sharp intake of breath, and Astrid laughed.

When Stoick finally pulled back, he put his hands on Hiccup's cheeks and lifted his head, forcing his son to look at him, although he really didn't need to. "You're alright!" Stoick said. He moved one of his hands to Hiccup's forehead. "And your fever's almost gone!" he said. "How do you feel?"

"Less...sick," Hiccup said. "A lot better, actually-"

"That's great news, son!" Stoick said. He gave Hiccup a powerful clap on the back, and Hiccup almost fell off the bed. "You two stay here. I'm going to go spread the word!" He left without another word elsewise, and Hiccup and Astrid exchanged smiles and laughs.

"Happy Snoggletog, Hiccup," Astrid smiled.

Hiccup smiled back. "Happy Snoggletog to you, too, milady."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **This was cute. I had a lot of fun writing this, especially the end scene. So, this was requested by waistcoat35, who said that there have also been a few other fanfictions with this theme, with Hiccup getting ill around Snoggletog, so I just wanted you guys to know that I'm not stealing from anyone. I do not generally read fanfiction, so I don't know if this one-shot was copying anyone at all.**

 **But yes, thanks to waistcoat35, I am aware that others have written the "Hiccup gets deathly ill around Snoggletog" theme before. This is just my take, one of many, presumably. :)**

 **In honesty, I think Astrid really** _ **does**_ **have a soft spot for Hiccup. She's very strong and tough (and often times violent as well), but I do believe she has a soft spot for Hiccup. I love how in "Gone Gustav Gone", before Hiccup took off to confront Dagur, Astrid insisted be "brought help to back him up", and Hiccup didn't leave until promising her that he would be careful.**

 **I think they both have soft spots for each other. It's just obvious. I'm hoping Hiccup gets hurt or sick in a future episode of Race to the Edge, just so that way we can see how Astrid really** _ **does**_ **react to seeing her friend hurt or ill like that.**

 **Here's hoping! :D**

 **Until next update!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	9. Dagur is Trying to Poison Astrid?

**Title: Dagur is Trying to Poison...Astrid?**

 **Summary: Ruffnut and Tuffnut insist they overheard Dagur talking about poisoning Astrid, although they don't know how Dagur planned on doing it. While Astrid, Snotlout, the twins, and Fishlegs brush it off as nothing, Hiccup insists on becoming Astrid's taste tester for everything . . . and actually ends up becoming sick.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Requested by: Guesdragon**

* * *

"GUYS!" Ruffnut and Tuffnut screamed in unison as they raced into the Clubhouse one late afternoon on Dragon's Edge. The sun was dipping below the horizon, and the twins were flying their Zippleback to the island with the boars to gather more boars for the boar pit they treasured so much.

The riders lifted their heads. Fishlegs, from his work on the Dragon Eye, Hiccup, from his notebook, Snotlout, from Hookfang's saddle, and Astrid from polishing her axe. They all looked into the twins' direction, equally confused.

"What is it?" Astrid questioned, setting her axe down and approaching the two panting dragon riders at the door. Hiccup set down his notebook and followed her while Fishlegs and Snotlout did the same.

"Dagur!" Tuffnut said. "We saw Dagur!"

Their shout instantly brought panic.

"Dagur!?" Hiccup blurted. Behind him, the other dragon riders repeated "DAGUR!?" in unison. Hiccup's mind was already racing. Dagur? What was Dagur doing, and more importantly, _where_ was Dagur? "Where was Dagur when you saw him?" Hiccup asked urgently.

"A long ways off," Tuffnut promised. "I'm sure they have no idea where we are, and we made sure they didn't see us, but we decided to spy on them!"

"Because we are AWESOME!" Ruffnut cut in.

"Yes!" Tuffnut agreed. "And we overheard them say that they're going to try and find some way to poison Astrid!"

Hiccup gasped. Meanwhile, the other riders simply cackled.

"Oh, please!" Snotlout said. "Dagur, poison Astrid? You're more likely to see Hookfang disobey my orders. Right, Hookfang? Hookfang? HOOKFANG!" Hookfang spread his wings and shot out of the Clubhouse, and Snotlout raced after him in a vain attempt to get him under control.

"Dagur wants to poison _Astrid!?"_ Hiccup said. He ran a hand through his hair. Why would Dagur be targeting Astrid now instead of him? Dagur always targeted him. Unless, Dagur wanted to poison Astrid, kidnap her while she was down, and then bribe Hiccup…

But that didn't make sense. Dagur didn't know where Dragon's Edge was. How could he possibly know where to find Astrid, and how would he poison her?

Astrid laughed. "That's ridiculous," she insisted. "Dagur won't be able to poison _any_ of us, let alone me. How would he even do something like that?"

Hiccup thought hard. Dagur could poison the water...he could find out somehow what type of fish Astrid usually ate and spread a disease through all those kinds of fish in the area...he could, possibly, send a Terrible Terror under his command to sniff out Astrid and poison a drink…

But still, it still didn't make much sense.

But he wasn't taking any chances.

Fishlegs and Astrid were laughing, and the twins soon joined in. This didn't seem to be bothering them much. "Alright," Astrid said. "I have more important things to do. I'll see you guys later. And remember, don't let the boars loose. Make sure you put them away when you're done with them."

Ruffnut and Tuffnut saluted and raced away. Fishlegs went back to work on the Dragon Eye, and Hiccup approached Astrid as she made her way back towrads Stormfly, grabbing her axe sharpening stone.

"Astrid," Hiccup said, "I don't know why you don't seem...nervous about this."

"Come on, Hiccup." Astrid punched his forearm with her freehand in a friendly gesture. "Do you really think Dagur could poison me? I mean, honestly. He doesn't even know where we are."

Hiccup knew that, but if Dagur somehow captured dragons and have them sniff Hiccup and the riders out, it wouldn't be too hard. Or, if the dragons didn't sniff them out and lead Dagur there, Dagur could give a dragon poisoned something and have them leave it at Dragon's Edge.

"I know, Astrid," Hiccup said, "but I'm just...a little concerned."

Astrid sighed. "You don't have to be concerned, Hiccup," she said. "Trust me, alright?"

Hiccup looked down. "If you don't mind," he said, "I would like to, you know, maybe test everything before you eat it, or drink it, just to make sure?"

Astrid heaved a heavy, groaning sigh. " _Hiccup_ …"

"Please, Astrid," Hiccup said. "It would make me feel better."

Astrid sighed again, but nodded in the end. "Alright, fine," she said, "but you're being protective for no reason, alright, you idiot? There's nothing to worry about."

Hiccup didn't even listen to the second have of what she said. "Thank you," he said with relief.

And they continued on with their usual schedule, except at dinner, Hiccup taste-tested a small bite of Astrid's fish and took a sip of her water, just to make sure nothing was poisoned. And Astrid let him, groaning as she did so, clearly reluctant and still believing, along with the other riders, that Hiccup was worrying over nothing.

The next day, the riders met for breakfast at the Clubhouse, and the same thing happened. Hiccup tested Astrid's food, deemed it fine, and waited until lunch before repeating the process. By that time, he was really beginning to get on her final nerves. She thought it was sweet, in a way, that he was being protective of her, but he had to learn that she didn't need protecting.

She walked out of her hut, three days since Ruffnut and Tuffnut's warning, to see a basket of fish set at the door. She blinked at it in confusion and looked around. Stormfly was sitting obediently by the door, and Astrid wondered if Stormfly had already gone out and caught the fish.

The riders took turns on who caught the fish for the meals, and today was Astrid's day. She strode towards her dragon and gently stroked Stormfly's muzzle. "Did you already get it, girl?" she asked.

Stormfly chirped in what sounded like confusion. Astrid brushed it off, pulled the basket over her shoulder, and headed towards the Clubhouse, Stormfly following her closely.

When she opened the door to the Clubhouse and strode inside, the other riders were already there, including the dragons. Hiccup turned to look at Astrid, his eyes falling on the sack over her shoulder.

"Hey, guys," Astrid said. "I brought breakfast."

"Great!" Snotlout raced forward. "I'm starving!"

Hiccup walked forward. "Astrid, where did you catch these fish?" he asked.

Astrid groaned. Yes, of course he was going to be protective. _Of course_ he was. "I didn't," Astrid said. "I think Stormfly did. They were on my porch when I woke up this morning."

She knew Hiccup wasn't going to buy that and leave with reassurance, and just as she had expected, he pressed on. "Wait, you mean you don't know where they came from?" he questioned. "Astrid, you can't _do_ that. It's dangerous. Dagur's trying to poison you, remember?"

Astrid growled under her breath. "Alright, Hiccup," she said. "This has gone on far enough. I'm going to eat this fish," she took one out of the basket, "and I'm going prove that you're wrong." She held it to Stormfly, and Stormfly breathed a breath of fire onto the fish, cooking it through instantly.

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, sure," he said, "but after I try it first to make sure it isn't-"

"No, Hiccup," Astrid said. "I'm going to try it this time, alright? You need to see that it's okay, and that Dagur isn't trying to poison me." She tore off a piece of the fish and cast the rest to the side. "Watch, Hiccup," she said. "You can stop panicking."

Hiccup didn't stop panicking. He lunged forward, and, just as she was about to eat the fish, yanked the piece right out of her hands and ate it himself.

Astrid growled. _"HICCUP!"_ she shouted furiously.

Hiccup thought that maybe, just maybe, he really _had_ been worrying about this too much - but then, he actually took a moment to taste the fish. Something about it tasted...wrong. It didn't taste like normal fish.

He swallowed it, and paused. Astrid crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "There, you see?" she snapped. "Just like all the other times you've tried to insist that Dagur is trying to poison me, it turns out, nothing happens at all!"

Hiccup suddenly swayed, although the other riders were too caught up in Astrid's furious rambling to notice. Hiccup's body suddenly felt as though it were being burned over an open flame. Sweat dripped down his forehead. His stomach lurched.

"I told you not to do it!" Astrid said. She hadn't noticed Hiccup yet, and continued pacing in her anger fused tantrum. "But do you ever listen to me!? NO! I told you! I TOLD YOU!"

"Astrid," Hiccup tried. He had to tell her about the fish, that it really was poisoned, and he couldn't do that if she didn't stop talking for at least five seconds.

"You are _SUCH AN IDIOT_ ," Astrid shouted. "Never listen to a thing I say! I told you, Dagur isn't trying to poison me, and this fish is _NOT_ poisoned!"

"Astrid!" Hiccup cried, desperately. His hands snaked around his stomach on their own, and he held his abdomen, gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut in pain.

Astrid groaned and finally spun around to face him. "WHAT NOW!?" she shouted. "WHAT-" She stopped abruptly, her face melting from red anger to pure, white terror in another instant, the moment she looked at Hiccup. "Hiccup?" she whispered.

Hiccup stumbled on his already unstable legs and fell forward, and would have face planted the wooden floorboards if Astrid hadn't sprang forward to catch him. She managed to break his fall by crashing to her knees and catching him in her arms, holding him in firm, tight panic.

Hiccup coughed, and coughed, and coughed again. "I…" he coughed, "t-told you...the...the fish...Dagur...tried...poison…" He broke out into another hacking, gagging coughing fit. Breathing became unbelievably difficult.

Astrid slapped him on the back, but nothing she did seemed to help stop his choking. She tried everything, from slapping his back to thumping her fist against his back, and even tried rubbing his back, just in case a more gentle approach would somehow be more efficient.

"Astrid," Hiccup gasped. "I c-can't breathe…"

That's when Astrid's panic really started to grow. Oh, Thor, Hiccup was right about the poison. Hiccup was right, and this was all her fault. She should have listened, should have thought more carefully, and she hadn't, and now, Hiccup was the one to suffer.

By this time, the other riders had gathered around Astrid and Hiccup, and Fishlegs surged forward. "Astrid, he's suffocating!" Fishlegs shouted in pure panic.

 _YEAH YEAH, THANKS, GENIUS!_ Astrid wanted to shout back, but didn't. She thought hard. The fish was what was poisonous. If she could somehow get the fish out of Hiccup's system, he should be fine. Probably be sick for a few days, but in the end, fine.

Right?

There was only one way to find out.

She wrapped her arms around Hiccup's middle and dragged him and herself into a standing position. Without warning, she began jerking her fists against Hiccup's stomach.

This was all her fault. If Hiccup were to die, it would be all her fault, because she was stupid and didn't listen to what he had to say. She yanked him backwards, digging her fists into his abdomen, hoping she didn't break his ribs.

At long last, Hiccup coughed, gagged, and vomited the poisoned fish (along with any other stomach contents he might have had) onto the ground. Astrid's hold on him loosened, although she didn't let go of him altogether, and as soon as Hiccup finished expelling, he slumped back into her arms, completely limp, breathing heavy rasps that hardly sounded like breaths at all. More like ragged, guttural moans that scraped against his throat and broke her heart.

And Astrid did the only thing she knew how to do at this point.

She dropped a gentle kiss into Hiccup's hair and whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," over and over and over again.

…

Astrid, with Toothless and Stormfly's help, got Hiccup back to his own hut while Fishlegs and Snotlout cleaned up at the Clubhouse and the twins took their Zippleback to blow up the basket of death fish somewhere in the forest.

Hiccup was feverish. He'd gotten the poison out of his system before it became deadly serious, but a small amount of the poison still ran through his veins. It was enough to drain him of energy and give him a high fever.

Hiccup cracked his eyes open and gazed up at her blearily. "Astrid," he murmured. "Wh...what…?"

Astrid stroked his hair out of his face gently, trying her best to ignore his fever. "The fish was poisoned," she said. "You were right, Hiccup. I...I think Dagur _was_ trying to poison me."

 _Oh, ya think!?_ an angry part of her mind snapped back at her. _He almost died and all you have to say is "I think"!?_ "I'm so sorry, Hiccup," she whispered. "I'm sorry. This...this is all my fault."

"D-don't be sorry," Hiccup said. "At...at least it was...me, and n-not you."

Astrid sighed, feeling shocked but not completely surprised by what he said. "No, don't say that, Hiccup," Astrid said. "It's my fault, and I wish it had happened to me if it had to happen to anyone. You...you should have let me be the idiot, Hiccup. You should have let me eat that fish."

Hiccup shook his head. "Couldn't have," he said. "Didn't want you to get hurt."

That was the problem with Hiccup. He was fine with putting his own life on the line as long as everyone else made it out alive in the end, with or without him. It was sweet and terrifying both at once, and right now, more terrifying than anything.

"I should have listened to you," Astrid said. "Maybe taken a precaution, maybe heeded your words...but I didn't, and now look where you are. This is my fault."

Hiccup sighed. It didn't seem to be bothering him very much. "It's...it's okay, Astrid," Hiccup said. "I...I just…" He suddenly sat up, one of his arms wrapped around his stomach. Astrid grabbed the bucket she'd placed by the bedside earlier and held it under his chin when he turned and heaved. On one hand, Astrid was glad his body was fighting the poison, working to expel any trace of it from Hiccup's system.

But, on the other hand, Astrid hated seeing him sick.

When he pulled away, Astrid set the bucket aside, leaving a mental note to get rid of it as soon as Hiccup fell asleep again. Sighing, Astrid began pushing Hiccup back onto the bed, but at the last minute, she pulled him into a tight embrace instead, with his head tucked under her chin. He sucked in a sharp intake of breath in surprise, but after a moment, relaxed into her strong yet gentle hold and shut his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Hiccup," she whispered. "I'm sorry. You were just trying to do the right thing, and...I'm sorry I yelled at you. I'm sorry I called you an idiot, and told you you never listened to me...I'm the one who never listens. I'm the idiot. I'm…" She sighed again. She felt so, so, so, so, so _guilty_ for what she did. "I'm so sorry," she said.

He still had a high fever, so she reached over, re-wet the rag, and pressed it against the side of his head. She smoothed his hair down and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

"I'm sorry," she repeated for the utmost time. "Could you forgive me, Hiccup? Please?"

She knew Hiccup already forgave her, as he was a naturally forgiving person, but still, she wanted to hear it in his own words, from his own mouth.

After little hesitation, Hiccup nodded. "Y-yeah, o'course," he murmured. "I forgive you. I...I was never mad at you. I'd...I'd do everything it takes to...to protect you, milady. I forgive you. You...you don't even need to ask."

And that made Astrid feel just a little bit better.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **So there really isn't much else to add to this one-shot. I think you all get it. The suggested title for this one-shot was "Dagur to the Throat", just so you guys know. I was kind of torn in two when it came to the title of this one-shot.**

 **And I hope Astrid didn't come across as OOC. It was sort of part of the request, making Astrid "guilty and fluffy", so just so you guys know. :)**

 **I hope you guys liked this little ficlet. :)**

 **Until next update!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	10. Back to the Drawing Board

**Title: Back to the Drawing Board**

 **Summary: Hiccup takes a tumble off Toothless - a bad tumble, at that. With Hiccup suffering from a fractured backbone, Astrid feels helpless. Set after "Defenders of Berk" and before "Race to the Edge."**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Requested by: Capnhttyd**

* * *

"HA HA HA!" Hiccup cheered, throwing his hands into the air as he and Astrid raced through the clouds. "You can't catch me, Astrid!"

"Oh, is that a challenge, Dragon Boy!?" Astrid called back. She leaned low over Stormfly's back, pressing the Nadder to go faster in an attempt to catch up with Hiccup and Toothless as they rocketed through the clouds as if their lives depended on it.

"Challenge?" Hiccup called over his shoulder innocently, although the smug sarcasm was clear in his tone. "What challenge? I have no idea what you're talking about!" With one final smirk, he refocused his attention on the sky in front of him, and pressed Toothless on.

Astrid smirked right back. "Come on, Stormfly," she said. "Let's get them!" Stormfly squealed in excitement and shot forward like an arrow, pursuing Hiccup and Toothless closely, without a care in the world.

When suddenly, a flock of Terrible Terrors flew out of what seemed like nowhere, shooting upwards into the sky, flocking around Hiccup and Toothless, growling and snarling. "Whoa!" Hiccup exclaimed in surprise, attempting to turn Toothless out of the way of the dragons.

Astrid yelped as well, not expecting the appearance of the Terrible Terror flock. She looked below, expecting to see the twins rushing out of the forest, cackling as they watched the flock of dragons flee.

It would be just like them to scare a pack of innocent Terrible Terrors.

However, there was no sign of Ruffnut, or Tuffnut, and she sighed in relief. At least those two idiots wouldn't get in trouble when they got back to the village.

But when Astrid looked forward again, what she saw made her relief vanish as though it had never even existed. There was a large rip in Toothless' prosthetic tailfin from where a Terrible Terror's claw had slashed it, and before Astrid could even shout a warning, Hiccup and Toothless were plummeting towards the forest below.

"HICCUP!" Astrid screamed. Stormfly screeched along with her and turned, darting towards the falling dragon and his rider. Hiccup screamed the entire way down. Astrid reached her hand out, desperate to catch Hiccup - Toothless would be fine. The dragon had scales like chain mail and bones like iron.

Hiccup did not.

But she knew that from the distance, she and Stormfly would never reach Hiccup or Toothless before they hit, and a moment later, her thoughts were confirmed. Toothless slammed into the treetops, hit the forest floor, and vanished from sight, covered by the shade of the trees of Raven Point.

That wasn't the terrifying part.

The terrifying part was how Hiccup's screaming cut off so abruptly.

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted again, desperate for a reply. This was her fault; she was the one who suggested they raced a quick lap around Berk before the sun set. If Hiccup was hurt, she'd be the only one to blame.

In mad panic, she steered Stormfly downwards and leapt off the dragon's back as soon as the ground was close enough. Astrid stumbled on her first few steps but quickly regained her footing, her panic driving on her search.

"Hiccup!" she screamed. "Toothless!" If she could find one, she could find the other, she reckoned. She listened closely, and beside her, Stormfly did the same.

Then, she heard a faint moan, followed by the cooing and growling of a dragon she knew all too well. She took off running towards the direction from whence the sound came and skidded to a stop as soon as she stared in horror at the sight before her.

"HICCUP!" she shouted, and took off towards him once again. He was lying flat on his back, Toothless standing over him, nudging the side of his head in panic. Every time Toothless touched him, Hiccup let out another moan of pain.

Astrid collapsed by his side, and Toothless took a step back to give her more room. She knew about human injuries; Toothless did not. She knew how to help Hiccup; Toothless did not. So, reluctantly, Toothless sat back and watched with wary eyes as Astrid's hands hovered over Hiccup uncertainly.

She didn't want to touch him. By his position, it didn't look like Toothless had been able to break Hiccup's fall. Well, maybe a little bit, because Hiccup was still conscious and there were no open wounds or bones poking out of his skin (she shuddered at the thought), but the dragon certainly didn't break Hiccup's fall entirely.

"Hiccup," she said. "Hiccup, c-can you hear me?" She set her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. "Hiccup?"

Hiccup's eyes fluttered, he moaned, and then, his eyes slid open. He gazed at her in what looked like confusion. It wasn't very hard to see why. He'd just fallen from a large height. It was easy to see why he would wonder how he got where he was now.

"Astrid," he gasped. He shut his eyes again and moaned. "What...what…"

"Shh," Astrid was hardly even listening to him at this point. She began checking him over, starting with his head. However, the instant she touched him, he hissed through his teeth, and she retracted her hands sharply, afraid of hurting him more.

"What?" she asked, desperate. "What happened? What hurts? Your head?" _This is my fault_ , a bitter part of her mind snapped at her. _This is all my fault_.

Hiccup shook his head and groaned again. "N-not my head," he said. "It's...it's more...my neck...but...it's not...exactly...the worst in my neck."

Astrid was already putting it together. He couldn't move without being in pain. He couldn't shake his head without moaning. He was lying flat on his back. He'd fallen from a reasonably big height.

"Hiccup, I...I think…" She didn't say what she thought, because she didn't want to panic him, but she knew now what the problem was.

He'd either broken his backbone, or fractured it.

She really _was_ panicking now. When Hiccup moaned again, she wanted so desperately to hug him, to hold him, to grab his hand and promise him he would be alright. But if he'd suffered an injury to his back, she knew he couldn't move, at all, really. Or, at least he wasn't supposed to.

"Stormfly, go back to the village and get help," Astrid ordered, and Stormfly was quick to obey, spreading her wings and soaring back towards the village to do as Astrid had commanded. Meanwhile, Astrid turned back to Hiccup, trying to remember everything she had ever learned about injuries and how to treat them.

She assumed Hiccup had a back injury and reacted accordingly, positioning herself behind his head and putting her hands on either side of his head to restrict movement. Any movement was bad movement. She knew the dangers and risks of moving him right now. Permanent paralysis was the biggest one that came to mind.

And she didn't want him to be in any pain, either. He was already hurt enough as it was, convulsing and twitching, moaning every so often. Oh, Thor, Astrid wanted to hug him in comfort or drag him onto Toothless to get him back to safety _so badly_. But alas. She couldn't move him. At all.

She rested her hand over his for a brief moment, squeezed his fingers gently, and then returned her hand to its position on the side of Hiccup's head, keeping him from moving.

And then, there was nothing else she could do but wait. She waited, shushing Hiccup's frequent moans and telling him that he was alright, and that help was coming. She hoped she wasn't lying about him being alright. She really, honestly hoped she wasn't. She couldn't lie to him, especially in a time such as this when he needed her to be completely honest with him.

She waited.

 _Please, please, please, come back soon, Stormfly_.

The sun was beginning to set, dipping over the horizon, and as it left, the cold arrived. Astrid wished she had a blanket, or something she could use to at least keep Hiccup warm with.

Toothless draped his wing over Hiccup although his scales made no contact with Hiccup's skin. Astrid assumed the dragon knew as well as she did that touching Hiccup or causing him to move was dangerous. Maybe a back injury wasn't the only problem. Maybe he had some sort of rib injury as well…

"Astrid! Hiccup!"

She heard a shout of her name and looked in the direction from whence it came. Stoick raced towards them, and Stormfly dropped in from the sky.

Astrid could have cried with relief.

"Stoick!" she shouted back. "Hurry! He's hurt!"

…

Astrid paced back and forth outside Gothi's hut while she awaited Gothi to finish her examination on Hiccup. She wrung her hands together, tugged at the loose strands of her braid (which was now so messy it could hardly be called a braid anymore), and continued pacing.

After Stoick assessed Hiccup's condition at Raven Point, he and Stormfly had raced back to Berk for a stretcher, and after carefully moving Hiccup onto it, supporting his head and neck the whole way, they headed back towards the village and straight to the healer's hut.

Gothi had been in there for a while now with Hiccup, and Astrid had no idea what was going on. Was Hiccup alright? Was he too badly injured?

Just as she was about to barge into the door and demand what was going on, Stoick walked outside, shutting the door behind him before Astrid could look inside. Astrid rushed forward, standing directly in front of Berk's Chief in question.

"Well?" she asked. "How is he?"

Stoick sucked in a deep breath. "He's in surgery," he said in a low, sorrowful tone.

Astrid blinked in shock and confusion and inhaled sharply. " _What?"_ she blurted. "S...surgery for what?" She wasn't acting very freaked out on the outside, but that was only because she didn't know what to think. Hiccup, in surgery? It sounded too awful to be true.

"Paralysis," Stoick said. "Without the surgery, he will be paralyzed for the rest of his life. It's for his own good, Astrid. He will be fine."

Astrid didn't even know what to think anymore. "Can...can I see him?" she asked hesitantly.

Stoick shook his head sadly. "Not right now, Astrid, I'm afraid," he said. "When the surgery is finished, you are permitted to see him, but right now, no."

Astrid nodded. She had expected that, but she didn't feel any more reassured. "Alright," she said. "I'll...I'll wait."

Stoick didn't tell her otherwise, and it was just as well. She wasn't planning on moving any time soon. Not until, at the very least, she saw how Hiccup was doing.

And so she waited. It took another few hours, but at length, Gothi opened the door and stepped outside. One nod to Astrid was all it took before Astrid bolted inside the healer's abode.

And there was Hiccup, lying on multiple blankets on the floor with an extra blanket over his body. He was sleeping what appeared to be soundly, although Astrid knew it was just the sleeping herbs Gothi used to knock him out. That, and his pain probably took his consciousness at least once or twice, no doubt.

She raced to his side and collapsed to her knees. She brushed his bangs out of his face and felt his forehead. She'd expected him to have a fever, and was relieved when his temperature was normal, not too high and not too cold.

She sighed. "I'm sorry, Hiccup," she whispered. She leaned over him and pressed a soft, gentle kiss to his forehead. "Please, wake up soon."

And Hiccup opened his eyes.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **IT'S ME! I AM BACK! *halfhearted clapping in the background* Not that I've been gone very long now, huh? And I'm here, back with another one-shot that I ended up not being satisfied with…**

 **Well, I hope Capnhttyd, the requester of this fanfiction, liked it. That's all that matters. :) And I hope the rest of you awesome readers liked it, too! :D**

 **Until next update!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	11. Don't Test My Patience

**Title: Don't Test My Patience**

 **Summary: When Snotlout is an idiot (what else is new?), Hiccup becomes extremely frustrated, and disappears. The riders think Hiccup just wants some alone time . . . until Hiccup doesn't come back for two days straight. The riders will have to find him, before it's too late.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Rating: T**

 **Requested by: Literally No One**

 **WARNING: There is the physical beating of a character in this one-shot. Nothing graphic, at all, but just a little warning to those who do not like that stuff. It's not a big scene at all - maybe one or two paragraphs, but I wanted to warn you guys nonetheless. :)**

* * *

Snotlout was being an idiot.

Again.

And that basically summed up Hiccup's life on Dragon's Edge. Snotlout was an idiot, new dragon species, Dagur was attacking, Berserkers were everywhere, they were in mortal danger, Snotlout was an idiot, new map from the dragon eye! Yay! Snotlout was an idiot. New dragon species turned out to to be not so friendly! Oh brother! Snotlout was an idiot.

Snotlout was an idiot.

Snotlout was an idiot.

Hey, guess what, world? There had been a development: Snotlout was an idiot.

Hiccup always knew Snotlout was an idiot. Of course he did. But he never thought Snotlout would think he was dying, for yet the second time, despite what the riders told him over and over again, about how he was really NOT dying and had nothing to worry about.

Yet, Snotlout still insisted that he was bitten by a Lunar Gunar - a dragon of his own invention that, frankly, did not exist. Hiccup knew Snotlout was doing it for attention. He wanted attention, that was all he wanted, and if he got that once, he would keep trying to get it again, and again, until he drove Hiccup and the other dragon riders right up the wall.

Snotlout laid sprawled out on the floor, crying out, "I can see the Valkyries! They are coming to welcome me to-"

"SNOTLOUT!" Hiccup shouted for the utmost time that day. "YOU. ARE. NOT. DYING!"

Astrid agreed. "Yeah," she said. "Don't get our hopes up, Snotface."

Snotlout only groaned again. "I shall go in peace," he said. "Fear not."

"Oh, brother," Fishlegs groaned.

"Yeah, you know what?" Hiccup said, his built up frustration finally exploding. "If you don't want to listen to reason, that's fine by me." He turned on his heel and stomped out of the Clubhouse angrily.

"Where are you going?" Astrid called after him.

"I'm going to clear my head!" Hiccup called back, and was gone a moment later. No one followed him - not even Toothless. He continued walking, stomping, marching angrily towards the far points of Dragon's Edge, where he could hopefully get some peace and quiet for a bit before he had to face his lunatic cousin again.

But then, suddenly, as he walked along the shoreline of the opposite side of Dragon's Edge, he heard voices shouting.

"Explore the island, lads!" an accented voice yelled. "Look for any trace of dragon life anywhere!"

"Yes, Sir!" voices shouted back.

Hiccup froze. He didn't recognize the voices; they weren't Berserkers. Plus, the accents of the ones shouting was different than any other accent Hiccup had heard before, which meant they must not have been from around Berk.

Slowly, Hiccup walked forward to investigate. There was a single ship, the belly of the vessel resting on the sandy shore. Men stepped off the ship - no more than five, but they were armed with nets and just about everything else.

Look for any trace of dragon life anywhere, the first voice had demanded? That didn't sound too good. He thought hard...maybe he could somehow lure the whoever-these-guys-were away.

Well, he kind of had to. If these guys found the dragons and the riders, there was no telling what they would do.

Hiccup stood up and walked towards them, trying to keep it casual. "Hello!" he called, trying to fake an accent (although he was pretty sure he failed). The heads of the strangers whipped around in his direction, and he didn't flinch, although he wanted to. "What brings you to these dragon-less lands?"

The leader of the group (or, Hiccup assumed he was the leader, by the way he held himself and seemed to command the others with a simple raise of his hand. Hiccup knew a leader when he saw one) stepped forward. "What do you mean, 'dragon-less' lands?" he questioned in his thick accent.

Hiccup shrugged, trying to keep it cool. Now, he wished that he hadn't left the Clubhouse, regardless of Snotlout, but at the same time, he was glad he discovered these...whoever they were.

"That's what these lands are called!" Hiccup lied. He was confused by the confidence in his voice, but he didn't dwell on it. "The Dragonless lands, because dragons don't come here for anything, hardly ever! Every now and then we get a migrating flock, but in the end, we never see any dragons around here."

The leader of the group stepped forward again. "So," he said, "in these, Dragonless lands, there are no dragons?"

Hiccup nodded. "Yep," he said, shaking his head. "No dragons at all. Sorry to burst your bubble."

"Really," the leader repeated.

Hiccup nodded. _Buy it buy it buy it buy it please…_

The leader stepped forward yet again. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" Hiccup could tell by the tone of his voice that it was a trick question, and he didn't have a chance to answer at all before the leader spoke again. "Lads, find out if he's lying."

The three men set down their weapons and slowly approached, pounding their fists into their open palms. Hiccup stepped backwards, suddenly feeling very, very, very un-clever for doing this.

"Is this really necessary?" he asked innocently. "Why can't you just believe-"

He was cut off by the first harsh punch, which was delivered to his stomach. He doubled over. He felt like this was an interrogation with Dagur the Deranged. If he kept insisting that there were no dragons (even though he would be lying), they would stop and leave him, because he was no use to them.

It was just like an interrogation.

The only thing he had to do was not break.

And he didn't break. He kept insisting and insisting over and over again that these lands were really the "Dragonless lands" he had made up all on his own, and although every punch was harsher than the last, he never gave his friends or their dragons away. He never, ever, broke.

By the time the men stepped away, Hiccup collapsed forward into the sand, breathing heavily, hurting from various bruises all over his body. In fact, he'd be surprised if he didn't have a cracked rib at this point.

"He didn't break, Sir," one of the men told their leader. "I think he's telling the truth."

Hiccup dropped his head back to the sand. _Thank Thor…_

The leader sighed. "Pity!" he shouted. "Come on, we need to continue on our way! But first…"

Hiccup lifted his head again and watched as the leader threw a ragged, long strip of white fabric to one of the men and a thick rope to the other.

"Gag him, and tie him to that tree over there," the leader said. He tossed his head and glared at hiccup. "You should really learn to mind your own business, boy."

Hiccup didn't even utter a comeback. The men forced him to his feet and dragged him over to the tree their leader had pointed to. While one of them bound the gag around Hiccup's mouth (with way, way, way, way, _way_ more force than necessary), the other twisted Hiccup's arms behind his back, bound them together tightly (once again, way more force than necessary) and tied the rest of the rope securely around the tree.

Well that was great. With the gag, he couldn't shout for help, and even if he could, he was too far away from their base for them to hear his cries.

And since he was tied, he couldn't get up and go to them. Besides, with how he was feeling, it wasn't going to be working very well, moving. He felt sick and hurt as it was. Moving would just make everything worse.

He saw the men get back on the ship and couldn't help but sigh in relief as they began sailing to a new destination. He didn't know who they were or what they wanted. He just hoped he never saw them ever again.

The summer sky beat down on him, and the trees did nothing to shade him. Hiccup wondered for a moment if the leader of the group had purposely told his men to tie him to that particular tree just because there was no shade.

Probably.

They were definitely barbaric enough to come up with something like that.

Hiccup could tell he was losing consciousness. He knew he was, and there wasn't anything he could do about it. The blows to his face made him feel dizzy and weak, and the heat gave him a severe headache that made the dizziness about ten times worse.

 _Please,_ he thought desperately, just before he passed out. _Please, someone, help..._

…

"Hey, Astrid!" Snotlout shouted excitedly as he bounded to his feet and raced towards her. "Guess what!?" he said. "The Lunar Gunar doesn't actually exist!"

Astrid crossed her arms. "Really," she said in mock surprise, nodding slowly. "Wwwwoooooowww."

"And THAT means," Snotlout said dramatically, "that I am NOT dying!"

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Big shock," she grumbled. It was nightfall, and Snotlout had finally been re-convinced that the Lunar Gunar dragon was indeed his own creation of his own imagination and thereby did not exist in the real world. Astrid, at the moment, was waiting at the platform with Stormfly and Toothless, anticipating Hiccup's return, ready to spread the good news.

Snotlout no longer thought he was dying.

That was good.

Except, when Hiccup didn't show up, Astrid assumed he'd already gone to bed, just like the rest of the riders. He probably snuck back to his hut under their noses in the silence of night, not wanting to deal with Snotlout again.

Astrid thought about waking Toothless, but he was curled up with Stormfly, snoozing away, and she didn't want to disturb either dragon. So, in the end, she told Stormfly goodnight and headed back to her own hut.

The next day, when they all met at the Clubhouse early in the morning, Hiccup still wasn't there. They waited until the afternoon for his arrival, but he never came.

Astrid volunteered to go to his hut and wake him up (he was probably sleeping in, after all), but he wasn't there.

He wasn't there.

That was when the search parties started. They flew their dragons across Dragon's Edge searching for their friend, but unfortunately, when nightfall came, they could no longer search for him. Toothless continued searching, but even the dragon had to give up at length, although he was reluctant.

The searches continued the instant the sun rose, and they searched more desperately. Fishlegs, the twins, Snotlout, and Astrid broke up in different directions to search for their friend, and this time, they searched the further points of the island, so they were flying in large, swooping circles.

It was then that Astrid finally, _finally,_ after two whole days of searching, had some luck. She saw what looked like a body (she hoped it wasn't a _dead_ body) on the shore below, almost unnoticeable because of the trees, but definitely there beyond any shadow of any doubt.

"Down there, Stormfly!" Astrid ordered, and Stormfly soared downwards instantly, towards the shore. As soon as the dragon hit the ground, Astrid leapt off her back, looked back at the body, and gasped in horror and shock.

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted.

There he was, sagging against a tree, a piece of white, thick, ripped fabric bound tightly around his mouth (or, it was white, at some point. Now, it was turning grey from dust and brown from grime). His hands were behind his back, no doubt tied together and bound tightly around the tree to restrict all possible movement. He was pale, but multiple, dark purple bruises splotched over his face, and probably the rest of his body as well. There were multiple cuts and scrapes on his face as well as the bruises. His eyes were closed, his head lolling back against the bark of the tree.

He looked horribly sick and a bit - well - dead.

Except, the rise and fall of his chest was heaving, so at least Astrid had the reassurance that he was _breathing_ , but that didn't mean he was uninjured, because he looked, in fact, quite injured. Quite injured indeed.

Astrid wasted no time in rushing to him, drawing her knife out of its place sheathed on her belt. She quickly but carefully slid the knife between Hiccup's skin and the fabric of his gag, and in one swift _SLICE_ , the rough material fell away from Hiccup's face. Astrid grabbed it and threw it as far as she possibly could in the opposite direction in pure disgust.

Whoever did this to Hiccup was going to _pay_.

Except, Astrid wasn't so sure who exactly did this to Hiccup. It wasn't the work of Dagur or the Berserkers. No, Dagur would have killed Hiccup, or kidnapped him, or at least left a note somewhere as a warning. There was no note, Hiccup was alive, and he was _here_ , not in a Berserker cage on a Berserker' ship in the middle of the ocean.

Who, then, would stoop so low as to do _this?_

The instant she cast away the fabric, Hiccup coughed. The coughs were deep and thick, and Astrid supposed it made sense. He'd been missing for two days, and if he'd been bound and gagged on the first day, it meant he'd gone two full days without food, or water, for that matter, with the summer sun beating down on him throughout the entire day.

"Hey, Dragon Boy," Astrid lifted her hand and snapped in Hiccup's face when his eyes closed again. Hiccup blinked his eyes open once more, his green irises glazed and hazy. "Hey," Astrid said. "Can you hear me?"

Hiccup blinked and nodded. Astrid then took to cutting away his bindings - and Thor, they were tight. She was surprised they hadn't cut off circulation to his hands. He winced visibly when she removed the ropes as his arms now hung limply at his sides.

She moved his bangs away from his eyes to check the gash on his forehead, but when her fingers made contact with his skin, she found that he was burning from a fever. Maybe burning was an overestimate, because his fever wasn't all that high, but still, the fact that he had a temperature at all led her to believe that he was severely dehydrated - maybe even suffered low-grade heat stroke.

Oh, she certainly hoped he hadn't gotten heat stroke, no matter how small the case was and how not severe it was.

It was then she realized that she'd actually brought a canteen of water with her, and she reached into her satchel to pull it out. "Here," she offered, pulling out the cork with her teeth and pressing the tip to Hiccup's dry, chapped lips. She carefully tipped his head back and slowly poured just barely a swallow's worth of water into his mouth.

At first, he didn't react at all, but then, he began gulping down the water, almost desperately, as if it would be the last time he drank water for years to come. Astrid didn't stop him, either. She kept his head supported and hoped he didn't choke. She wasn't exactly going to _stop him_ from drinking the water now, was she?

At length, when the canteen was more empty than full, Hiccup leaned back, his head falling against Astrid's shoulder. Astrid set the water canteen down on the ground beside them and wondered how she would get Hiccup on Stormfly without forcing him to move more than necessary.

She supposed she could send Stormfly back to get help, as that seemed the easiest thing to do. Then, she would have another rider to help her with Hiccup, and that would be appreciated to say the least.

Hiccup swallowed and opened his eyes again slowly, gazing up at her blearily. "Astrid?" he whispered in quiet confusion as if not fully believing she was actually there.

Astrid nodded reassuringly. "Yeah, it's me," she said. She reajusted her hold on him, practically crushing him against her tightly. He was gone for two whole days. She was just relieved he was _alive_. "What in the name of Thor happened, Hiccup?"

Hiccup swallowed again. "I...dunno...who the...they were," Hiccup murmured. "I...I think...I think they were...I dunno. T-trappers, of some sort. But...as soon as they saw me…after I...told them...that there weren't any dragons here, they..."

He paused, and Astrid knew what he was going to say before he even said it. Except, she still wanted to hear him clarify it.

"Did they beat you?" she asked.

Hiccup winced, but nodded. "Y-yeah," he mumbled. "S-said I should...know better than to...poke around in...other people's...business…"

Astrid felt heated with rage towards the men who did this to Hiccup, but there was no going back for them now. Hiccup coughed again and slumped further against her.

"Do you feel sick, Hiccup?" Astrid asked; she was going to go through the list of the symptoms of mild heat stroke.

Hiccup hesitated, and then nodded. "A-A little," he admitted. "Dizzy…"

That wasn't good. "Do you feel nauseated?" she asked. "Think you're going to be sick?"

Hiccup shook his head. "N-no," he said. "A...a little nauseated, b-but...it's not...b-bad…"

Astrid believed him. She trusted that he wouldn't lie to her in a time such as this. "Alright," she nodded. "Come on, let's get you out of here."

As weak as he was, he managed to stand, resting heavily against Astrid. Astrid slowly, slowly walked him towards Stormfly, and as soon as Stormfly crouched low, Astrid gently tugged him onto Stormfly's back after her, holding him tightly against her.

Stormfly then spread her wings, and took off back towards base.

"Astrid?" Hiccup croaked.

"Yes?"

Hiccup let his head fall back against her shoulder again. "Th-thank you," he whispered. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, f-for s-saving me…"

Astrid smiled and nodded. "You're welcome," she said. "Now let's get you cooled off some."

She landed directly in front of Hiccup's hut and dismounted, gently pulling Hiccup off with her. Astrid looked back at Stormfly and raised her hand. "Go find the other riders," Astrid said. "I found Hiccup."

Stormfly nodded and took off once again. Astrid knew that if stormfly showed up in front of the other riders and squealed excitedly, they would get the picture and return back to Dragon's Edge. Satisfied that her dragon could handle herself, Astrid took up the task of getting Hiccup inside.

She deposited him on his bed and raced off to gather a basin of cold water and a rag. She set the items on the bedside table, soaked the rag in the water, pressed it to Hiccup's brow, and then ran back again to get a cup of water for him to drink in case he was still thirsty.

She knew he was dehydrated, and she planned to fix that. She set the cup on the bedside table and sat beside Hiccup on the bed. She brushed her fingertips against one of the ugly, purple, blackened bruises on his cheeks. She probably could find some salves to put on them to help with the pain, because by the way Hiccup winced as soon as her fingers made contact, it hurt a lot.

"Sorry," she whispered. She lifted the rag off his forehead, soaked it again in the basin of cold water, and returned it to its position. Hiccup sighed in relief.

"Th...thanks," he said gratefully.

Astrid nodded. "No problem. You hungry?"

Hiccup shook his head. "N-not really," he murmured.

Astrid didn't want to push him, but she did know that as soon as he cooled down and recovered a bit, he'd be hungry. And besides, he had to eat. He hadn't eaten anything in two days. "Okay, for now," she said, "but later on, you have to eat something, even if it's just something simple, like soup, alright?"

Hiccup nodded. "Okay," he agreed.

Astrid removed the rag from his forehead and put her hand on his brow. He still felt pretty warm. "You just get some rest for now, Hiccup," she said. "Rest for as long as you need to."

Hiccup nodded and dropped off to sleep a moment later without protest. Astrid watched him, torn between fury and sorrow.

Sorrow, because Hiccup had gotten in this state at all.

And fury towards whoever hurt him in the first place.

Because no one was allowed to hurt her Dragon Boy.

No one.

Not without her having a say in it.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **And I am sure you clever readers picked out who the "trappers" who beat Hiccup up were, correct? *wink* Congrats to those who did, and to those who didn't, in case I didn't make it obvious, they were some of Drago's trappers.**

 **I don't know, I just felt like throwing that bit in. I thought, hey, why not? ;)**

 **So, once again, one-shot. No continuation to this. :) I hope you liked it! Requested by Literally No One, just a little reminder. I like giving credit to the ones who originally requested it. :)**

 **Until next update!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	12. Exterminators Tend to Exterminate

**Title: Exterminators Tend to Exterminate**

 **Summary: When Hiccup goes on a flight with Toothless and doesn't return, Astrid and the other dragon riders go out to look for him. They find him badly injured with a furious Toothless fighting off an angry heard of Exterminator dragons.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid, Toothless**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Requested by: Eeveecat1248**

* * *

Astrid paced back and forth in front of the Clubhouse, her hands behind her back, twisting together subconsciously. She looked up at the sky, spun on her heel, and continued pacing in the opposite direction.

Hiccup should have been back by now. He'd been gone for hours, ever since the sun first rose that morning. He said he'd do a quick round across Dragon's Edge just to make sure there were no new dragons wreaking havoc and no sign of Dagur.

That was hours ago. He should have been back by now.

She paused. The door to the Clubhouse opened, and Astrid turned her head to watch as Fishlegs stepped outside, trailed by Meatlug.

"Any sign of him, Astrid?" Fishlegs asked.

Astrid shook her head. "No," she said. "I don't feel good about this. This isn't like Hiccup, Fishlegs. He should be back by now." She looked back up at the sky. The sun was hanging high, indicating midday, and still, no sign of Toothless. Astrid could normally see the black of Toothless' scales against the blue sky when he was approaching, even from a far distance, but now, she could see nothing at all, which meant Hiccup and Toothless must have still been pretty far off.

"I know," Fishlegs agreed, nodding. "He's definitely never been gone this long before." He looked back into the Clubhouse, where Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Snotlout were goofing off with their dragons without any care in the world. Fishlegs looked back at Astrid. "Should we go look for him?" he asked.

Astrid thought for a moment, and shook her head. "I'm going to give him a little longer," she said, "and then we'll go look for him."

Fishlegs nodded.

…

Hiccup was having a bad day.

On the patrol with Toothless, Hiccup had come across a land that seemed, quite literally, burnt to a crisp by an unknown source. Hiccup found it odd, because just yesterday, this land had been plentiful and full of habitation.

Now, it was black and charred like charcoal, and there was no source. A fire wouldn't have been able to do all this so quickly, and then go without a trace.

He'd gotten his answer a moment later when SUDDENLY, a burst of flames erupted from somewhere below them. Toothless had screeched in shock and surprise as the fire came out from seemingly nowhere, burning through the green habitation on the neighboring island of the one burnt to a crisp.

"Toothless, down there," Hiccup had ordered, and Toothless had been quick to obey, tucking his wings in and soaring downwards, towards the flames that had come out of nowhere.

However, that was a really terrible idea, because that was when the dragons attacked.

Hiccup had read about them, but he'd never actually seen them before. Dragons with almost transparent skin so you could see their internal organs, with long, sword-like talons that could slice through just about everything, and scorching fire power.

The dragons were known as Exterminators, according to what Hiccup had read. But in honesty, it confused him more than anything. What would Exterminators be doing out here?

Then again, what _wouldn't_ they be doing out here? Hiccup had to keep reminding himself that this wasn't Berk.

When the dragons came up at them as Toothless soared low over the treetops, they'd gone right for Hiccup. Toothless had been able to swerve out of the way, but unfortunately, it was a terrible idea. Hiccup had been flung from the saddle and plummeted towards the ground.

Luckily for him, it hadn't been a very far drop, but he dropped right in the Exterminators' territory.

The black, panther-like, transparent skinned dragons had approached him, snarling and growling.

And that was how Hiccup came to be lying on the ground, bleeding from various (hopefully none of which were deadly) wounds as Toothless fought off the Exterminators to the best of his ability. Hiccup tried to get up, to help his dragon somehow, but he couldn't move. His ribs screamed in protest, and the bleeding gashes and stabs that decorated his body practically begged him to stop moving.

Toothless was holding his own pretty well, but the Exterminators were good hunters, and more than that, they were terrifying. Toothless stood over Hiccup as the dragons came from all directions, the trees they walked by bursting into flames.

Hiccup only hoped and hoped and hoped and hoped and continued hoping, wishing, desperately begging his friends, who were so close yet so far (about a ten minute distance from this island to Dragon's Edge flying dragon back), to come look for him, to save him and Toothless before there was nothing left to save.

…

"He's been gone for hours," Astrid said, slamming her fists down onto the table in front of Snotlout, the twins, and Fishlegs. "We're going to look for him, now."

Snotlout and the twins groaned in unison, obviously not open to the idea of flying, especially in this dry heat. "Aw, come on!" Snotlout said. "Are you guys seriously worried about Hiccup? He's _Hiccup_ , for Thor's sake! What do you think happened? If he comes across an unknown dragon species, he can always train it!"

"Actually, Snotlout," Fishlegs said in his "let's-be-logical" tone, lifting a finger, "there have been quite a few dragons we've come across that are just too lethal to train. Take the Death Song, for instance."

"Fishlegs is right," Astrid said. "If Hiccup is in trouble, we have to help him, and if he isn't in trouble, no harm done, right? It won't even be a long flight. Just around the corner. Give or take fifteen minutes."

Tuffnut crossed his arms, and Snotlout and Ruffnut did the same beside him.

Astrid groaned. "Hiccup would look for you guys if you went missing," she said. "He wouldn't hesitate, actually. Why should we be any different to him?"

Snotlout lifted his finger and opened his mouth, only to shut his mouth and drop his arm back to his side again. "Fine," he growled. "But this doesn't mean I'm going to enjoy it."

"Yeah, we'll go too," Ruffnut said.

Tuffnut nodded. "But I just hope if Hiccup does happen to be in danger," he said, "that there is fire involved. It's only fun fire is involved."

"Well, let's hope Hiccup isn't in danger that involves fire," Fishlegs said. "In this heat, fires will only spread."

Astrid nodded. "Alright, mount up," she said. "We're leaving."

…

The Exterminators were closing in fast. Hiccup lost count of how many there were. Toothless was almost out of plasma blasts. He was trying to use small blasts in order to conserve his shot limit, so instead of firing six big blasts he could shoot twelve small ones, but even then, he still had a shot limit, and it was running out.

An Exterminator lashed at Toothless, its swords of talons coming straight for the Night Fury. Toothless roared and shot a blast at its feet, but the Exterminators only continued advancing from all directions.

Hiccup knew that Toothless wouldn't be able to hold them off forever.

For much longer, even. If he lasted ten more minutes, it would have been a miracle, but ten minutes was really all they had before Toothless' shot limit was up, and the Exterminators became the victors of this battle.

…

Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut flew overhead on their dragons, looking below for any sign of anything odd or out of place that could lead them to Hiccup.

"Astrid, look at that!" Fishlegs called, and Astrid looked forward instantly to see what he meant. She gasped. The island was completely desolated, all habitation it once possessed burnt dust and piles of charred wood.

"That's weird," Astrid said. "We were just at this island yesterday, and we didn't see anything!"

"Fireworm migration?" Tuffnut asked. "They always burn things."

Fishlegs shook his head. "Nope," he said. "If Fireworms were migrating, we would have seen them from Dragon's Edge. And actually, we would probably have Fireworms on Dragon's Edge. The Fireworms just migrated, anyway, remember?"

"Then what could have done this?" Astrid asked. "Dragons are normally very careful about what they use their fire on. They don't burn down lands like this. These islands are their homes."

"Fire wouldn't have been able to burn all this in time," Fishlegs said.

"Great," Snotlout grumbled. "So what is it?"

As if to answer his question, on the neighboring island, a burst of flames came out of nowhere. When Astrid and the others looked in that direction, they saw that there were many, many flames coming out of what seemed to be the island itself.

A dragon fight?

Hiccup and Toothless?

"Come on, over there!" Astrid commanded, and the others were quick to listen, turning their dragons in that direction and soaring forward.

Astrid only hoped that whatever was going on, they weren't too late to fix it.

…

Hiccup was just about out of hope. The burns and gashes covering his body were burning like the fire around them. The heat was starting to get to his head. He felt dizzy, and his lightheadedness was making him nauseous.

More importantly, Toothless was now out of plasma blasts, and he stood over Hiccup, baring his teeth at any Exterminators that got too close. But there was nothing else the Night Fury could do. If the Exterminators pounced, Toothless wouldn't be able to fight back, and Hiccup...well, it was obvious that Hiccup wouldn't be able to stand on his own, much less help Toothless fight off psychotic Exterminators who liked to exterminate.

Hiccup was about to give up, to finally say, _This is it_ , when the impossible happened.

There were shouts from above, followed by blasts of fire and lava exploding all around the Exterminators. The transparent skinned dragons screeched in shock, but that was about all they had time to do before more fire rained down on them from above.

"DIE!" the voices of Ruffnut and Tuffnut shouted.

Hiccup lifted his head, cracking his eyes open, just barely. His vision was blurry, and for a while, he was seeing double, but then, his vision finally cleared, and he saw his friends on their dragons, soaring towards the Exterminators.

"Die, chicken faces!" Snotlout cheered. Hookfang lit himself on fire and breathed more towards the Exterminators. The black dragons screeched and ran off.

Or, some of them, at least. Not all of them. Not yet.

Stormfly flicked her tail, and spines shot straight towards more Exterminators, who quickly got the message and raced away with a puff of smoke. Meatlug spewed lava downwards at another two Exterminators, who chased the rest of the pack instantly.

Only one more remained, and while he was busy screeching up at the other dragons in fury, Toothless raced forward and slapped the dragon with his tail. The Exterminator was flung against a tree and crumpled to the ground.

Toothless roared, and the Exterminator wasted no time in rushing into the already burnt woods.

Hiccup dropped his head back against the sand and shut his eyes.

"HICCUP!" Astrid's voice shouted from above, although to Hiccup's ears, her voice was muffled and sounded as though she were shouting from another island. He heard four muffled _thumps_ he knew were the dragons landing, and he opened his eyes again.

Astrid was right in front of him, grabbing him, shaking him. He wanted to scream in pain and protest, but he couldn't do anything. He really couldn't even hear anything. His senses were dulled. He looked at Snotlout, who was standing right beside Fishlegs. As his vision continued distorting, it appeared that Snotlout had three heads, stacked upon each other, and Hiccup would have laughed if he wasn't in so much pain.

He must have blacked out, because when he opened his eyes again, wind rushed at his face. They were in the air. He could see Hookfang in the corner of his eye, carrying Toothless in his talons, and Hiccup felt a little better.

"Hiccup," a fuzzy, barely distinguishable voice called. It was so quiet that Hiccup had to think for a few minutes before he realized it was his name being called. He looked up, and Astrid was looking down at him, her blue eyes twinkling and full of concern.

How long had she been there?

Hiccup realized that actually, she had been there for a while and he simply hadn't noticed her. Her arms were wrapped around him, and she was practically crushing him against her. Although she was putting pressure against his wounds, Hiccup didn't mention it at all. He appreciated the comforting feeling of her strong arms around him. He couldn't protest right now.

Especially when he felt so blatantly tired…

"Hiccup," Astrid's voice said again in that fuzzy, distant tone. Her grip on him tightened, if possible. "Hang on," she told him. "Just hang on. Almost there."

The pain...oh, why did it have to hurt _so much…_

He felt Astrid's hand against his cheek and noticed he was crying. Astrid wiped his tears away with her thumb, only when Hiccup looked back at her face, it looked like she was about to cry, too, for a reason Hiccup didn't fully know. She wasn't hurt.

Was she?

He closed his eyes again.

…

Something cool and damp dabbed his forehead and cheeks lightly, and after swallowing, Hiccup slowly opened his eyes. He felt different than he did the last time he woke up. The pain was still there, but it felt oddly dulled. He blinked a few times and looked ahead as the girl dabbing his face retracted her hand.

Astrid sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes, worried yet relieved, meeting his own. "Hey," she said.

Hiccup blinked again. "Hey…?" he whispered back. Oh, Thor, his voice sounded _awful_. Cracked and weak as though he hadn't spoken in days. He turned his head and coughed. Breathing became a chore.

"Hey, take it easy," Astrid said. "You inhaled a lot of smoke." She soaked the rag in her hands in a basin of water, wrang it out, and bathed Hiccup's face with it again. Hiccup sighed. He hadn't realized how hot he felt until now.

"What…" He paused to cough. His voice was still ridiculously cracked and guttural. If Hiccup needed any proof about inhaling smoke, his voice was it. "What happened?"

Astrid set the rag on his forehead and sighed. "Basically," she said, "we got you back here, patched you up, a few of your wounds got infected, and here we are." She rested her hand over his. "You gave us a pretty big scare."

Hiccup nodded tiredly and turned his head to cough again. Breathing was already hard enough as it was, but whenever he coughed, there was a stabbing feeling in his ribs that he simply couldn't ignore.

Astrid rubbed his shoulder and brushed his hair out of his face. "Easy," she said. "Easy. You should probably just think about resting, alright? You got hurt pretty bad."

He thought about it, but really, he didn't want to rest. "I'm alright," he said between coughs, although he was lying, and he and Astrid both knew it.

"No, you're not alright," Astrid said. "You're exhausted." Even after he stopped coughing, she kept smoothing his sweaty hair out of his face, clearly concerned. "You're just going to make yourself worse if you keep this up. You already suffered enough."

Hiccup blinked in confusion, and Astrid sighed.

"I thought you were dead, alright?" Astrid said in a frustrated, low tone. "When we found you on the beach, with those...those...freakish, psycho panther dragon things...I thought...well...I thought we'd lost you."

Hiccup blinked - he seemed to do a lot of that. His vision still wasn't completely back to normal. "It takes more than a few dragons to kill me," he murmured with a small, tired smile.

Astrid shook her head. "Not much more," she said. "You know how long it took us to get your wounds cleaned, Hiccup? Or how long bandaging everything took? It took us all night, literally, and yet, the worst of the wounds _still_ got infected. It's not funny, alright? Stop making wise cracks, idiot."

Hiccup sighed and coughed. "Y-yeah, Astrid," he said. "I know it isn't funny."

Astrid sighed heavily. "I didn't even know Exterminators existed," she said, clearly trying to change the subject. "I thought they were just a legend. You know, like America. America doesn't actually exist."

Hiccup nodded. "But it could," he said. "Maybe we just haven't found it yet…"

Astrid shook her head. "You're an idiot, Hiccup," she said. "You know that, right? America doesn't exist. We'll fall off the edge of the world before we find America."

Hiccup sighed. "You know," he said, "I've had dreams before...really crazy dreams, of course...but...there was this one where the world we're living on isn't actually flat."

Astrid's head snapped in his direction. "Then what was it?"

"A sphere."

Astrid threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, seriously?" she said. "Come on, Hiccup. If the world we lived on was really a sphere, we would have fallen off of it by now, don't you think?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Hey...you…" He turned his head and coughed yet again. "...Never know," he finished. He lapsed into another coughing fit. If breathing in smoke really made it all this bad, he never wanted to be anywhere near open flames ever again.

Astrid continued stroking hair out of his face, clearly at a loss of what else to do. She didn't really know what she was even _supposed_ to do. "Hiccup, you shouldn't be talking right now," she said. "You cracked a rib, amongst other things. You really can't strain yourself right now. Your body can't take it."

"Astrid-" Hiccup tried again.

"No," Astrid said. She set her hand on his forehead and smoothed his bangs away from his eyes with her thumb. "Don't you 'Astrid' me. Rest for now. We'll have plenty of time to talk when you feel a little better."

"Are...are you guys okay?" Hiccup murmured despite Astrid's command. "Toothless...is he alright?"

Toothless suddenly perked up from the corner of the room where he had been resting. He moved towards his rider and licked his cheek. Hiccup laughed softly, coughed twice, and rested his hand against Toothless' forehead.

"Hey buddy," he said. "You holdin' up alright?"

Toothless cooed and nuzzled the side of Hiccup's head. Hiccup smiled, although it didn't reach his eyes. "Good," he said. "Good…"

"Alright," Astrid said. "Will you rest now, Hiccup? For real?"

"Are the twins and Sn-"

" _Hiccup…"_ Astrid shook her head. "We're fine. The only one hurt here is you, and Toothless has a minor burn on his leg, but he's fine. Dragon scales are practically fireproof. You are not."

Hiccup smiled at her again. "I know full well that I am not fireproof, Astrid."

"Oh, really? Good. For a while there, you had be questioning your sanity."

Hiccup was about to say something else when sharp pain raced through his chest. He choked back a moan and turned his head.

"Shh," Astrid said. Her demanding tone was gone. "I told you to rest. Rest. _Rest,_ Hiccup."

Hiccup sighed tiredly. "But-"

"No 'buts' about it," Astrid said. "You're tired. You're allowed to sleep, alright? Toothless and I will wake you if something happens, won't we, Toothless?" Toothless cooed in agreement and licked Hiccup's face.

Hiccup smiled. Yes, he was tired, try to deny it as he might. After another moment, he shut his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

Astrid watched him, waited a heartbeat or two, and sighed. "Oh, Hiccup," she sighed, shaking her head. She "I'm...I'm just glad you're safe."

Toothless tilted his head to the side, staring at Astrid in confusion.

Astrid jabbed her finger in the Night Fury's face. "You had better not say a word about it to the others," she said.

Toothless nodded.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **I hope you all liked this one-shot. :)**

 **I wanted you all to know that the "Exterminator" dragons were not created by me. They were created by the original author of the How to Train Your Dragon books, and appear in book 5 for the first time.**

 **I just finished reading the fifth book in the series, and I loved the Exterminator's design, and couldn't help but add them into a fanfiction. I think they're so cool, with their black, slightly-transparent scales and sword-like talons and fire...so, so, so amazing.**

 **Seriously. If you haven't read the How to Train Your Dragon books, I advise you read them. They are awesome! :D I had them ordered to our local library, so that's where I read them from, in case you were wondering.**

 **Some people ask me if I like the books better, or the movies better, but honestly, I like both of them equally and individually. I like the books because of Camicazi (who is sort of like the "Astrid" of the books), and I like Toothless in the books, but at the same time, I like Astrid in the movies, and I like how Toothless is in the movies…**

 **I like them both equally and individually, as I stated earlier, and they're really pretty awesome. I'm having the sixth book sent to me right now (*squeals*), and I'm hoping to finish the rest of the series by next year, which I'm sure I will, because I finished the fifth book in literally a few hours.**

 **:) Sorry about the long A/N, guys. I just like talking. XD**

 **Until next update!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	13. My Friend

**Title: My Friend**

 **Summary: Toothless thinks about this odd, Viking boy who shot him down, took his freedom, released him from the ropes, and freed him once again. Set during the first movie.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Toothless**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Requested by: Many people have requested Hiccup and Toothless bonding, although this was requested specifically by joudy.**

* * *

Toothless was a Night Fury, the most feared of all dragons in the Viking and the dragon worlds. Dragons feared him – all of them. Even the Monstrous Nightmare hid from sight when Toothless came around. The Nadders spread their wings and soared off in the opposite directions. The Terrible Terrors hardly ever showed their innocent, big-eyed faces. Gronckles flew as fast as possible (which was often slower than they had anticipated) away when they caught sight of the Night Fury, the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself.

The Vikings were a different story. Toothless never showed himself to the Vikings, simply because he didn't want to be known. He wanted to be mysterious and dangerous and continue to be known as the "dragon no one had ever seen" amongst the Vikings.

He was completely fine with that. Stay hidden, shoot only when he had a clear shot, and never miss. He almost enjoyed the screams of terror as villagers shouted "GET DOWN!" to each other.

But this...this was just too humiliating, especially for Toothless.

For goodness' sakes, a Viking the size of a TOOTHPICK managed to shoot him down, slicing off his left tailfin in the process. Sure, in the end, the odd little weirdo had cut Toothless free of the bola ropes that surrounded him, but the damage he'd inflicted still remained.

Toothless couldn't fly independently now. The boy was trying to construct a tailfin (which Toothless really didn't understand. The Viking had shot him down in the first place. Where did the sudden urge to help the Night Fury come from?), but in the end, it didn't matter.

Toothless' tailfin was still gone, and he still couldn't fly on his own.

Toothless was slowly, ever so slowly, beginning to grow fond of the boy. The oddball bad taken to calling Toothless "Toothless", and although it was demeaning, a small part of Toothless was actually beginning to... _like_ it. He didn't know why. The human was different than other Vikings or dragons Toothless had met. Most dragons were selfish, and most Vikings were screaming soldiers who battled dragons to death.

This boy just...wasn't like that. At all.

Toothless waited in the shade of a tree, watching the small entrance of the cove, waiting for the little human's return. Toothless was beginning to grow rather impatient. The boy always brought an entire sack worth of fish, and Toothless was always very grateful for that.

But the boy had never been late before, and it was already nightfall. The area was completely dark, in fact, no light anywhere to be seen. The light that would be coming from the moon was shielded by thick, dark, rain clouds. It had already began sprinkling.

Toothless knew the boy meant him no harm. Toothless knew that the human was being patient with Toothless, trying to understand the dragon's curious ways. Toothless liked that about the boy as well as the meals he brought. The Viking lad was very observant. Ever since their first meeting, whenever the human showed up, he didn't carry a weapon, or even a shield for that matter. Instead, he carried a notebook, a charcoal, and a sack of fish. Sometimes, he carried Toothless' prosthetic tailfin-in-progress under his arm.

The boy was still trying to understand the Night Fury, and that was alright, because honestly, Toothless was still trying to understand the Viking. They had a lot of understanding to go through, especially if the tailfin was going to work. Because so far, all the efforts only worked if the Viking was on Toothless' back, and Toothless wasn't so sure he was ready for that just yet. Neither of them were.

The rain suddenly broke from a light sprinkle to a dumping downpour. Toothless' shoulders slumped. Humans didn't seem to mind the rain very much, and it certainly didn't bother Toothless, but still, Toothless wondered whether or not the little boy was coming. It was already late, and now, it was storming. Toothless supposed he wouldn't blame the boy much, really, if he decided to stay back at their odd little village until day broke and the storm blew over-

Suddenly, Toothless' ears perked up, and he paused, listening intently. For a few moments, there was nothing, and he was sure he had imagined the small footsteps approaching the cove, but then, he heard them again.

The small, wet, _thump, thump, splash, splash, thump, splash, thump, thump, splash, thump_ of the Viking boy's footsteps walking through occasional mud puddles met Toothless' ears again, and the dragon raced out from what shield from the rain he'd once had, towards the entrance of the cove. It wasn't big enough for him to fit through, but of course, a Viking (especially one of the odd human's size) could easily fit through it.

And then, the boy shuffled into the cove, the basket of fish slung over his shoulder. He didn't have his notebook with him, or Toothless' prosthetic tailfin, but honestly, Toothless could see why. It was raining. Terrible time to be trying that out, especially since they were both still learning the ropes. And the boy's notebook was full of paper, which wasn't very water proof.

Toothless stepped towards him, still not completely trusting close proximate. The boy didn't seem to mind. He slipped the basket off his shoulder, almost sluggishly, and kicked it over for Toothless to have at. Toothless bounded forward eagerly, just about to eat the first fish he saw, when suddenly-

Toothless lifted his head and closed his open jaws, looking back at the odd boy in confusion as he suddenly broke into a fit of coughing. Toothless tilted his head in confusion and growled.

The boy (Toothless was pretty sure his name was Hiccup, actually, from once when he tried to introduce himself to Toothless) glanced back at the dragon. It was then that Toothless realized something was very, very wrong. He looked pale – no, scratch that. He looked white. But his cheeks were flushed an odd shade of red, and there was an odd smell coming from him, almost like...

Sickness? Toothless thought twice. Could humans get sick? He'd always been pretty sure they could, but he'd never witnessed it first hand before now. The boy smelled like sweat and heat. He was feverish, then. Stupid human probably caught a cold on the way here, through the freezing air and pouring rain.

Why would the human be so stupid?

It was then that Toothless realized. The only reason this boy was out in this weather was because of Toothless in the cove, waiting for the fish to arrive. Oddly enough, Toothless actually felt... _guilty_. What? He wasn't used to feeling guilty. How could he be feeling guilty? He didn't even _like_ the boy!

Right...?

Slowly, after another look at the boy, Toothless knew for certain he would never actually hurt him. Neither of them would hurt each other, and Toothless had nothing to fear from this little human. Toothless had teeth and claws, and when he dried off a bit, he had plasma blasts as well. The human had no built-in weapons, nor did he have his little dagger, and even if he _did_ have his dagger, Toothless knew he wouldn't use it.

Besides, what was a dagger against a _Night Fury?_

Slowly, Toothless nudged the boy's side, just barely, and pulled back almost as soon as he made contact. The Viking turned and looked at Toothless, his eyes half-shut.

"Sorry I'm late," he said. He nodded at the overturned basket of fish. "Y-you can eat if you want."

Part of Toothless wanted to eat, but at the same time, he felt this odd feeling of concern. Concern that came from seemingly absolutely nowhere, although Toothless knew it came from his heart, and he realized that, yes, he did like this human, as odd and different as he was.

Maybe Toothless liked him _because_ of his differences.

Yes.

That was it.

Toothless would have a hard time getting used to it, of course, but he was pretty sure this human could now be called his friend. Toothless smiled to himself. First dragon to befriend a Viking...how crazy was that.

His friend suddenly broke into another coughing fit, bringing up his fist and coughing into it. The rain wasn't about to light up any time soon, and Toothless knew that. The human would not make it back to his odd little village. Not in this state, anyways. He would collapse of exhaustion or make himself sicker.

Maybe even both.

No. Toothless wasn't going to let that happen to this...this...human he befriended in such a short amount of time. Toothless nudged the boy again, wishing he knew more about human illnesses. He knew that if a dragon were to get sick, the dragon suffering ailment would be cuddled and warmed through the heat of healthy dragon's scales.

Humans did not have scales, but Toothless could tell this boy was shivering, despite his temperature. Toothless decided that trying to do something was better than sitting around doing nothing.

The boy turned and began walking in the opposite direction, towards the fall side (moreover, _driest_ side) of the cove and sat down on the dampened ground. Toothless, after little hesitation, hurried over to him and growled again in confusion. What did he think he was doing?

The lad looked up. "I'm okay, Toothless," he murmured tiredly. Toothless wanted to roll his eyes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, _suuuuuure_. Toothless didn't believe this human's lies. He was lying to him. Toothless wasn't stupid.

Slowly, Toothless, after remembering that this boy wouldn't hurt him, and that this boy was his friend, and that this boy was going to freeze to death if Toothless didn't do something, moved towards him again and curled himself around the human, confident.

He could help the human.

After all, the human was helping him with the tailfin and bringing him food when Toothless couldn't catch it on his own.

He expected the boy to get up and spring back in shock and surprise but instead, he fell back and curled himself against Toothless' side. It was then that Toothless realized the boy trusted him. This odd little Viking who didn't act much like a Viking trusted the Night Fury not to hurt him.

Well, he wasn't wrong. Toothless would never hurt him. Toothless slowly pulled his wing around the boy, practically crushing him against his warm scales, although the Viking didn't protest. He simply turned, murmured incoherently, and pressed himself further against the dragon's side.

"You're a big softie, you know that, right?" the human asked lightheartedly. Toothless wanted to object, protest, tell him that he was no "softie", but at the same time, Toothless supposed he _was_ acting rather protective.

Toothless wasn't _always_ so protective and soft like this. He was still a Night Fury, after all.

But, maybe he could let his guard down around the boy.

After all, the boy let his guard down around Toothless.

Toothless blew air out of his nose and sighed. He ducked his head underneath his wing and licked rainwater off the Viking's face. His forehead was still warm to indicate fever, but the rest of his body, which had been once as cold as the chilly, windy air around them, was rising back to healthy temperature.

"Thank you, T-Toothless," the boy murmured. "You're...you're the best friend I've ever had."

Toothless had to admit, he was a bit surprised by this, but before he could even fully think about what the human had uttered, the little boy had drifted off to sleep, wrapped in the embrace of Toothless' protective wings.

Sighting to himself, Toothless rested his head on the ground and stared at the falling rain, watching as puddles were formed and the water of the lake rippled.

Toothless thought back to the sleeping boy in his wings and sighed again.

Maybe Vikings weren't as tough as they seemed. Maybe the Vikings weren't the murderous monsters the dragons knew them to be. Maybe Vikings and dragons really weren't that different. Maybe the Vikings saw the dragons the same way the dragons saw the humans.

" _You're the best friend I've ever had."_

Toothless smiled faintly and shut his eyes.

He was pretty okay with being the boy's friend.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **I just have to say that there is going to be more Hiccup and Toothless bonding in future one-shots, so don't worry. By the time this series is finished, I'm hoping to have a little bit of everything.**

 **Of course, right now, I'm still so hyped about Hiccstrid, and now, rider and dragon bonding as well. :)**

 **This was originally titled "My Hatchling", which changed to "My Friend", because in honesty, I thought it fit just a tad bit better. I don't know, I really liked both titles equally so. :)**

 **So, once again, this is requested by joudy, so thank you, joudy! :D**

 **Until next update!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	14. A Long Ride Home

**Title: A Long Ride Home**

 **Summary: Hiccup is feeling all out of sorts one cold morning at Dragon's Edge, and he's sure he can feel the beginning of a phantom pain coming on. But, the other riders are so excited about going back to Berk and updating the Book of Dragons. He can't crush their enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the pain hits him when they're in the air, right between Berk and Dragon's Edge, with no land besides a sea stack for over ten hours worth of flying.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Rating: K**

 **Requested by: Golden**

* * *

Hiccup had been feeling rotten ever since he opened his eyes that cold, winter morning. In fact, he'd been feeling rotten ever since he went to bed _before_ that cold, winter morning. He didn't know what it is. He assumed it was something minor, like a cold or a flu, because he always got sick when the temperature dropped.

He'd never actually been the healthiest person in the world, ever since he was little. He got sick easily as he grew up, and although now, he didn't get sick as much, he still got sick occasionally.

The previous night, he'd gone to sleep with a pounding headache and a tight feeling in his chest. His leg had been aching (his bad leg, go figure), but he'd ignored that. He'd been too exhausted to care much about his leg or his head. He'd gotten chills in the night, and if it hadn't been for Toothless to keep him warm, Hiccup was pretty sure he would have come down with hypothermia.

Despite his initial feeling of illness and pain in his leg (he would probably have a phantom pain later, although he desperately hoped it wasn't the case), he got up in the morning and met the other riders at the Clubhouse.

"Hey, Hiccup!" Astrid called excitedly as she raced towards him the moment he stepped inside. "We were thinking about going back to Berk so we can update the book of dragons!"

To Hiccup, the idea sounded like an awful one, with the way he was feeling, but he wasn't going to tell his friends that. He hated to worry them. He opened his mouth to reply, when Fishlegs piped up.

"Yeah, Hiccup!" he agreed. "We've learned so much! We just have to update the book of dragons, that way, when we come back here, we'll have a clean slate to work on! So much to learn, and so much to document! Ooh, isn't this exciting!?"

Hiccup forced himself to smile. "Yeah!" he agreed.

"In that case," Snotlout grumbled, "we should leave right now. I mean, after all, Berk is about a day and a half flight from here."

Hiccup's shoulders slumped slightly, although no one noticed. Oh, man, he'd forgotten what a long flight it was from here back home, but there was no backing out of it now. If he backed out of it, his friends would know there was a reason, and he didn't want to worry them.

"Alright!" Astrid clapped her hands together. "Fishlegs, pack up! Grab all our notebooks with the dragon information on them, pack them, and we'll head out! Everyone else, grab only what you need. We'll travel lightly."

Hiccup sighed. This, was going to be a very, very, very long day.

…

When they first took air and began the trip back to Berk, the cool air was refreshing. Hiccup's earlier nausea became something he could ignore easily, and his headache dimmed as the cool wind blew through his face. For a while, he was able to forget about the pain in his leg.

But then, it got worse. Five hours had passed since they left Dragon's Edge when Hiccup felt worse than before. He knew it now; he had some sort of flu, or cold, or whatever illness it was. The fact was, he wasn't well. The pain in his leg was steadily climbing, growing, up and up and up and up-

He looked back over his shoulder. The other riders were chatting away, their dragons in the V formation with Hiccup and Toothless at the front of the V, leading the others forward. Fishlegs told Astrid something that sounded like a joke, and Astrid practically fell off her dragon with laughter. The twins snickered, and even Snotlout couldn't hide a chuckle.

He didn't want to turn back now. He wanted to for his own sake, but he didn't want to go back for the sake of his friends. He cared about his friends, and they were so enthusiastic about going back to Berk, that he simply couldn't change his mind.

There was no going back now.

Any thoughts of going back to Dragon's Edge were eliminated when they reached the halfway point between Berk and Dragon's Edge. They were making great time. In fact, it was going faster than usual. They'd flown sixteen hours worth of flying in only eleven hours. That was good.

But eleven hours of flying nonstop while working a dragon's prosthetic tailfin with a leg that currently felt as though it was being stabbed over and over by a white-hot sword while also feeling as though your head was going to explode and your stomach was going to turn inside out would put a damper on anyone's mood, and Hiccup was no exception. He looked down at the ocean below and knew that there was _literally_ no turning back now. There was no where they could land; it was eleven hours back to Dragon's Edge, and eleven hours forward to Berk.

Either way, they would be flying for another eleven hours, and Hiccup would have no relief from his illness or upcoming phantom pain. He could feel the beginning of the phantom pain setting in what was left of his leg. There was no denying it now. The sun was still up in the sky, although as time wore on, it began setting.

"Hey, Hiccup," Astrid asked, moving Stormfly out of formation to fly alongside him for the first time since they took air. "Fishlegs was wondering…" She stopped abruptly, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "Hiccup, are you okay?" she asked.

Hiccup heard the concern in her voice and cringed inwardly. _No, no, no, no_. He didn't want her to know he was sick, and in pain. He didn't want her to worry. No, he _wouldn't_ let her worry. He would brush it off, tell her he was fine-

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" he asked. _Stupid, stupid, stupid, oh, that was a stupid thing to ask..._

"You look pale," Astrid said.

Hiccup shook his head. _Don't let her worry, don't let her worry, don't let her know, don't let her know, don't let her find out, Hiccup, you idiot_. "It's just the lighting," he said, making an excuse for himself (although he was sure Astrid didn't buy it at all). "The sun's setting, see? The lighting. Nothing to-"

He cut off abruptly and grit his teeth in pain. His hands tightened into a death grip on Toothless' saddlehorn. He squeezed his eyes shut and gasped heavily, his chest heaving.

The phantom pain had set in.

The pain was splitting and sudden, stabbing straight through his leg, worse than anything he'd felt before except another phantom pain. Hiccup bent low over Toothless' back, his forehead pressing against the back of his dragon's neck.

 _Don't scream, don't scream, don't scream, not in front of Astrid._

"Hiccup!?" Now Astrid _really_ sounded worried, and Hiccup heard Stormfly's wings beating against the sky, followed by Astrid's hand on his shoulder. He wanted to flinch away from her, but instead, he remained still, trying to fight off the pain. He felt Astrid's hand press against his forehead.

Wow, that was weird...her hand felt freezing…

"Y-you okay?" Hiccup asked. "You're...you're cold."

Astrid shook her head. "I'm not cold, Hiccup," she said. "You're hot. You're burning up. You've got a fever."

Ah. That made sense. Another sharp, stabbing pain burst through Hiccup's leg, and he whined in pain. Astrid wrapped her arm around his shoulders, Stormfly flying directly beside Toothless in an attempt to help keep the dragon aloft.

"We have to land!" Astrid called back to the other riders. "Hiccup's sick!"

"He's sick?" Fishlegs questioned. "Hiccup?"

Hiccup didn't reply. He was too busy trying not to scream in pain from his leg or upchuck whatever was in his stomach, especially in front of Astrid.

"Where are we going to land!?" Snotlout shouted across the sky. "The nearest island is another few hours worth of flying away, and I don't see any sea stacks we can land on, either!"

Hiccup already knew this was a problem. His head was resting on Astrid's shoulder, and as much as he wanted to pull away and insist he was fine, he found that he couldn't. He couldn't move from his position, and he really didn't want to, the more he thought about. He felt downright awful, and his leg...oh, his leg...the pain…

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy there, Hiccup," Astrid said, and it was then Hiccup realized he was slipping off Toothless' back. Hiccup forced his prosthetic back into the pedal, but that was an awful idea, because moving his leg jarred more pain, and he cried out, burying his face against Astrid's shoulder in an attempt to stifle the feeble sound.

"Hold on, Hiccup," Astrid said. "What's wrong? What is it? What hurts?"

Hiccup moaned. "M...my leg," he groaned.

Astrid's eyes widened. "You mean a phantom pain?" She'd seen his phantom pains before, and the symptoms added up. Crying out, jerking weakly every now and then, gulping down cries, although Astrid could see no evidence of physical injury.

His leg was hurting, and Astrid's heart sunk when Hiccup nodded shakily, confirming her fears.

"Oh, no," Astrid sighed. She looked back at the other riders. "GUYS!" she shouted. "We need to find somewhere to land, NOW!"

"Why!?" Fishlegs' terrified voice came back.

"Phantom pain," Astrid said. "He's got a phantom pain."

The last time Hiccup had a phantom pain while they were flying, an hour after the pain became excruciating, Toothless had crashlanded because of Hiccup's inability to control his tailfin. And crashlanding in the ocean was not a good idea, because if they couldn't get Toothless back into the air, he and Hiccup would both drown before they had even a chance at preventing it.

"I'll fly ahead and look for sea stacks!" Snotlout offered, and before Astrid could thank him or order him on, Snotlout blasted forward on Hookfang. Astrid's hold on Hiccup remained firm and unbreakable. She hoped Snotlout found something. She hoped he found something, for Hiccup's sake, and for Hiccup's sake only.

Snotlout flew ahead of them for hours to come - three hours, to be exact. Three hours of excruciating pain. Three hours of Astrid whispering to Hiccup, telling him to hold on, that they would find land soon.

It wasn't more than another half an hour later before Snotlout returned to them on Hookfang, panting as he was. "Up ahead!" he said. "Sea stack! Probably just big enough for us to land and camp on for the night!"

They really hadn't bought proper camping supplies, but they did bring some blankets, and those were a necessity, as it was already dark and thereby, cold. Astrid nodded towards Snotlout, and Snotlout turned Hookfang around and showed them the way.

Luckily for them, Snotlout hadn't been joking about the sea stack - it was the perfect resting place. The dragons touched down, and Astrid was forced to let go of Hiccup to let Toothless, who was shorter than Stormfly, land.

But she wasn't away from him for more than a few moments, because as soon as she could, she jumped off Stormfly's back and ran to Hiccup again.

"You're alright, Hiccup," she promised as she carefully unhooked his prosthetic leg from the foot pedal and pulled Hiccup off Toothless' back. As soon as Hiccup's one foot and prosthetic hit the ground, his knees buckled, and as he sank to the ground, Astrid sank down with him and held his head in her lap.

"Relax, Hiccup," she coaxed. "Relax." Last time Hiccup had a phantom pain, the only thing that really seemed to help him was relaxing and taking deep, calming breaths. Now, though, he was sick on top of his phantom pain, and Astrid didn't quite know how hard relaxing was when he felt so awful.

Relaxing was the only thing she knew for sure would help him. His fever wasn't dangerously high, but he definitely had a temperature, and was definitely sick. That much was painfully obvious.

But the real question was, what was Astrid supposed to do in this situation? Getting him to relax was never easy, and now, she feared it would be an even harder task.

She ran her fingers through his hair, trying to ignore his feverish forehead and sweaty locks. Oh, it hurt her to see him like this. It hurt _so much_ , but there was nothing she could do about it. Nothing at all.

While the others began trying to find logs and brush and just about anything else they could find for a fire, Astrid remained with Hiccup.

"Come on, Hiccup, easy," she soothed. "You know it'll help if you just relax, take a deep breath...that's it, see? It helps."

Hiccup didn't protest, at all, in fact. Tears were slipping past his lids now, and he was moaning and whimpering at different bouts, but at least he was relaxing, if slowly and slightly.

That was good.

Fishlegs approached them with two blankets in hand. He spread one over Hiccup, and the other around Astrid's shoulders. Astrid thanked Fishlegs quietly, and Hiccup just barely murmured "t-thanks" through his chattering teeth.

Well, at least he was coherent.

That was also good.

Hiccup didn't stay awake long after that, and really, no one could blame him. Toothless and Stormfly joined their riders early on, and while Stormfly wrapped her wings around Astrid, Toothless curled up beside Hiccup and draped his wing over Hiccup. Hiccup's shivers stopped abruptly, and he nodded off to an exhaustion-fused sleep.

After making sure he was sleeping soundly, Astrid leaned back against Stormfly, and drifted off as well, watching as the embers of their makeshift fire rose into the crisp, cool air.

By the next morning, the pain in Hiccup's leg had vanished, and although he still had a low grade fever, it wasn't much to be concerned about, and he was able to make it to Berk, where his father fussed over him when Astrid told him what happened (much to Hiccup's dismay) and asked his son why he flew when he was in that condition.

Although really, in Hiccup's mind, it didn't matter why he did it or what the mindset behind it was. The fact was, he did it, and granted, it was stupid, yes, he agreed to that.

Pain was something he knew well, and having phantom pains were just a part of life. They were an occupational hazard.

But having friends like he did, who took care of him no matter how stupid he was... _that_ , was an occupational benefit.

And with friends like that, honestly, what more could Hiccup ask for?

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Not so sure how I feel about this. I mean, I really like it, of course. I liked the Hiccstrid, and I really kinda liked the ending, too. Sorry if you guys think it's abrupt. Yeah, agreed, it's a bit abrupt, but I'm really trying not to drag these one-shots on for longer than they have to, because then, it just gets boring to write, and boring to read.**

 **So, I hope you guys enjoy this. :)**

 **Until next update!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	15. Phantom Pains, Movies, and Snowstorms

**Title: Phantom Pains, Movies, and Snowstorms**

 **Summary: Modern AU - While visiting Hiccup one cold, snowy night, Astrid becomes snowed in at Hiccup's house and has to stay there until the storm lets up. Now, that's all fine and dandy . . . or, it would be, if Hiccup wasn't suffering from a phantom pain.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Rating: K**

 **Requested by: Lightclaw's Shadow**

* * *

Astrid sat on the couch by the window, staring outside with worried eyes. The snow never let up, at all, in fact. The ground was already covered in it, and the snow was deep. Astrid sighed. It hadn't been falling that harshly or that thickly when she first arrived at the Haddock residence a few hours ago. She hadn't expected it to progress so quickly and suddenly.

She heard uneven footsteps from behind her and looked over her shoulder. Her friend, Hickory (more commonly known as Hiccup, for reasons Astrid didn't fully understand) stood, looking out the window, two mugs of a steaming drink in his hands.

"It's still going, huh," he said. It was a statement, not a question. He handed one of the mugs to Astrid, and she took it from him. Hot chocolate with marshmallows. When Astrid took a sip, she assumed it was from a packet, but it really didn't matter. She thanked Hiccup quietly and returned her gaze to the window.

"This sucks," Astrid grumbled. "It's Christmas Eve, and I'm stuck here. I was supposed to be back at my house hours ago." She wasn't complaining about being with Hiccup, of course, because she liked him, and she liked his company, but at the same time, it _was_ Christmas Eve, and she was _supposed_ to be back at her house right about this time to spend some time with her family.

She'd meant for the visit with Hiccup to just be a few hours long. She'd planned it all out in her head. She'd visit Hiccup, stay there for a few hours, and then go to her house to spend Christmas Eve with her family. They always did a lot of things together as a family, and Astrid enjoyed everything thoroughly.

Her mother and father always worked on Christmas day, so Christmas Eve worked as Astrid and her family's Christmas day. Actually, throughout the week leading up to Christmas, they celebrated, so instead of having one big celebration on Christmas day, they had seven mini celebrations on the week leading up to Christmas.

Except now, she was snowed in. She'd texted her mother to explain the situation, and her mother had understood completely. Besides, her mother trusted Hiccup, and she trusted Astrid as well. She'd told Astrid to come when she could, because, yes, the storm _was_ rather big, and going outside wouldn't be particularly smart.

Hiccup sighed. He set his own mug down on the table and sat down. After a moment, Astrid moved from her spot in front of the window and joined him at the table. The house was quiet, almost silent, actually. Hiccup's father, Stoick, always worked late, even on the weeks of the holidays (he actually did get Christmas day off, which Astrid envied), so Hiccup and Astrid were alone.

In fact, that was one of the whole reasons Astrid came to visit him in the first place. He normally spent Christmas Eve alone. His mother died from cancer when he was three, and his father always worked, besides Christmas day, which left Hiccup alone with no one but his black kitten, Toothless, who really wasn't much for conversation.

Astrid had meant to lift his spirits a bit by coming over. Now, she just had to wait for the _storm_ to lift so she could leave.

"Yeah," Hiccup swished the contents of his mug around, although he didn't actually drink any of it. He was being oddly quiet. "I know. Sorry."

Astrid shrugged. "Hey, it's not _that_ bad," she said. "You know...at least neither of us are spending Christmas Eve _alone_ , like you normally would."

Hiccup shrugged right back at her. He really hadn't said very much at all this evening. "Yeah, I guess so," he said, "except, I kind of wish I had something other than microwave dinner."

Astrid shook her head. "It wasn't that bad, you know," she said. "For a microwave dinner, I thought it was pretty good."

Since his father worked from early in the morning to late in the evening, Hiccup had pretty much stocked up on microwave meals. He had a huge selection. Astrid was even surprised by it while Hiccup brushed it off as nothing. He'd prepared two meals (or, put them in the microwave), and they'd eaten dinner nearly an hour ago.

Really, Astrid knew it could have been a lot worse. She was just glad she hadn't been outside walking back to her house when the snowstorm blew in. That would have been awful.

Hiccup smiled faintly. "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it, milady," he said. He sounded oddly...distant, as though there were something else tugging at his mind. He looked over his shoulder at the kitchen of his house, and Astrid followed his gaze.

"What's up?" she asked.

Hiccup jerked his head back in her direction. "What do you mean what's up?" he asked. "Many things are up. The sky is up. Gas prices are up-"

"No," Astrid said. "I mean what's up with you? You've been acting weird all evening. Is something wrong?"

Hiccup shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong," he said quickly. Too quickly. Astrid knew at that moment that he was lying, and that something was indeed wrong. "I'm just...a little...well…" He stood up suddenly, his hands pressed against the table. "Hang on a second, please?" he said, and then, he stumbled across the room and all but tripped into his kitchen. "And don't follow me!"

"Hiccup?" Astrid called after him. This was odd behavior, even for him, and that was saying a lot, since her friend was a very, very odd seventeen year old. Something was wrong, and he wasn't telling her what, either.

When she stepped into the kitchen, she was met by the sight of Hiccup sitting on the floor, leaning back against the counter, breathing erratically.

"Hiccup!" she exclaimed, more shocked than anything else. She, worried and not fully sure what was wrong or what to do, hurried over and sat next to him. "I'm serious now," she said. "What's wrong!?"

"I told you not to follow me," Hiccup gasped out, although his voice was an almost desperate, whispering plea.

"Well, I followed you," Astrid said, "and now you have to tell me what's wrong. What's wrong? _Hickory!"_ He'd zoned out for a moment, and his eyes snapped open again at her shout. She slid her arm around his shoulders. If shouting wouldn't make him spill the truth, maybe she could coax it out of him.

He looked like he was in pain, but she couldn't see any source of physical injury. She didn't know why he'd gotten up from the table as abruptly as he had, and she didn't know why he wanted to get into the kitchen so badly.

She had lots of questions and no answers.

"Hickory, what is it?" she asked. "What's wrong? Tell me, please. Hiccup?"

Hiccup's sporadic, heavy breathing slowly went from harsh and gasping to smooth and deep. While he slowly got his breathing under control, Astrid massaged his shoulder. He was tense, and if he was in pain somehow, he had to calm down, and Astrid knew this.

"What happened?" Astrid asked. He was still convulsing if slightly and moaning every so often, and his breathing was beginning to grow heavy again, but he was leaning against her now for support instead of the cabinet. She tightened the arm around his shoulders when he shifted further towards her. He still wasn't responding.

"What's wrong?" Astrid tried to be as gentle as possible, desperate to coax the truth out of him. "Hiccup, talk to me. Talk to me." She snapped her fingers in his face, trying to get some sort of reaction from him.

He looked up at her with his green, pained, watery eyes. "Help me," he whispered in the smallest whisper Astrid had ever heard any one use, as if he was ashamed of the plea.

This frightened Astrid. "Okay, okay, come on, I'll help you," she promised, slowly rising to her feet, pulling Hiccup up with her. However, as soon as he was standing, his leg gave out beneath him, and he cried out in pain.

His prosthetic leg.

It suddenly became very clear to Astrid, and she was kicking herself for not realizing it earlier.

Hiccup had lost his leg to a freak dog accident. Actually, it was how he found Toothless. Toothless had been hurt, scared, and alone, curled into a small, black, furry ball in an alleyway with vicious, snarling dogs approaching him. And Hiccup, being the kind, selfless person he was, even when it came to a teeny tiny injured kitten, had scared the dogs away.

Unfortunately, one of them had managed to sink its teeth into Hiccup's leg, and by the time they actually realized how severe the bite was and got him to the emergency room, it had been too late. The bite had been infected, and if they didn't amputate it, the infection would have spread to the rest of Hiccup's body and resulted in death.

They had to take his leg.

It was the only way to save his life.

But Astrid's mother was a doctor, and so, Astrid heard a lot of facts about amputees from her mother after Hiccup's leg was amputated. One of the biggest and most memorable facts was what came after getting a limb amputated.

Astrid's mother called them phantom pains. Astrid had thought it sounded crazy before (how can someone without a leg feel severe pain in that leg without it even being there?), but now, Hiccup's symptoms were adding up. He was in pain, but there was no evidence of other injuries. He didn't have a fever, so he wasn't sick. He kept moving his hand towards his leg as if to grasp it, and he couldn't put weight on his prosthetic leg without it giving out beneath him.

This was a phantom pain.

This _really_ sucked. This was worse than being snowed in on Christmas Eve, away from her family with packet hot cocoa and microwave dinners. None of that was really bad, per se, but it wasn't what Astrid expected on Christmas Eve.

And now, Hiccup was in pain on top of all that.

Great.

She practically dragged him over to the cough, trying her best to ignore his moans of pain and feeble protests. She thought about taking him up to his bed, but his room was upstairs, and she didn't feel like dragging a suffering seventeen year old up an entire flight of stairs.

Besides, it would be more painful for Hiccup than anything, and anyways, he looked fine on the couch.

Well, not fine, but a little better.

Astrid grabbed the blanket off the back of the cough and put it around Hiccup's shoulders and her own. It was a pretty big blanket, after all, and as soon as she had Hiccup covered, she settled him against her side, his head on her shoulder.

"Is it bad?" Astrid asked, pressing her palm against his cheek and keeping it there in an effort to keep Hiccup's head up long enough to meet her eyes. "The pain, I mean. Is it bad?"

Hiccup lowered his head to her shoulder again and nodded feverishly. "Y...yes," he whimpered. "B-but…'s'not s-so bad…" He whimpered again, burying his face against her shoulder.

"Oh, Hiccup…" Astrid whispered sympathetically. He was trying to be tough, to be strong, to put on a brave face so she wouldn't worry, but he wasn't reassuring her. "What do you normally do when you get a phantom pain?"

Hiccup didn't answer right away. Astrid felt warm drops soak into her shoulder, and she sighed, hugging Hiccup tighter. She'd never seen him cry before (well, he did, one other time in front of her, after being bitten by that dog, but that was a while ago), and it hurt her to see him so hurt.

"I...I n-normally just...take an aspirin," Hiccup said at long last. "B-but...I took one earlier...can't take another one right now…"

He'd been in pain earlier, and Astrid hadn't even noticed it. More importantly, he had _hidden it_ from her. "When did you take it?" she asked.

"When...when I...w-went to make the hot chocolate," Hiccup said.

Astrid sighed. It wasn't even that long ago. The pain reliever probably hadn't even set in yet. "Why didn't you tell me?" she pressed.

"D-didn't want you to w-worry," Hiccup whimpered.

Astrid sighed. It was just like Hiccup to do something like that. She smoothed his hair back continuously, not knowing what else she was supposed to do. There wasn't really much else she _could_ do.

"Hang on," she said. "I'm going to find some movie to put on, or something. Maybe it'll help keep your mind off it." She knew whenever she was in pain, or sick, the best thing to do was to do other things to keep yourself distracted.

Hiccup nodded against her shoulder, and slowly and regretfully, she untangled his arms from the desperate death grip he had around her middle (funny, she hadn't even noticed his grip until now) and rose to a stand, leaving Hiccup with the blanket all to himself.

She knew her way around Hiccup's house as though it was her own, and it took her little to no time before she picked out a movie. Hiccup had told her over and over again that he liked the Star Wars series, and the Lord of the Rings series as well, so she picked the first Lord of the Rings out of the movie cabinet, and headed back towards the TV to put it in.

She did all this in a remarkably short amount of time, because really, she was desperate to get back to Hiccup again. As soon as the movie was in, she grabbed the remote, turned out the lights, and resumed her position on the couch beside Hiccup with the blankets draped over their shoulders once again.

A small weight dipped the cushion on the couch, and when Astrid looked, she saw Toothless sitting beside Hiccup. The cat _mrrrrowed_ in confusion and leapt into Hiccup's lap, rubbing his little, furry, black head against Hiccup's hand. Hiccup scratched the cat behind his ears, but that was all he did. The rest of the time was spent finding a comfortable position. Astrid knew the aspirin he'd taken earlier hadn't set in yet. It probably wouldn't set in for another twenty minutes or so.

So, as the movie played, Astrid's focus remained on Hiccup. He pressed himself against her side, his head taking up its earlier position on her shoulder, and she wrapped an arm around him in an attempt of comforting the pained boy. She stroked his hair calmingly, although she didn't know what good it was doing. She figured it couldn't make anything _worse._

She didn't say anything, really, except for the occasional "are you okay?" or "take it easy, alright?" or "I'm here for you, I'm right here…"

It seemed to take forever...but then, finally, after another hour, Hiccup's shivers stopped entirely, and he shut his eyes. His breathing evened out and went from fast, shallow and sporadic to deep and calm. Toothless was curled up in Hiccup's lap, as fast asleep as his owner.

Astrid smiled softly. Hiccup looked so peaceful when he was sleeping, any pained features smoothed out. She continued playing with his hair for a few more moments before she reached over and grabbed the remote to the TV. She turned the volume down, almost all the way. She wasn't watching it, anyways, and Hiccup was sleeping. She didn't want to disturb him in any way.

On the table set beside the couch, a phone _bleeped_. Hiccup's phone, Astrid realized as she reached to take it off the table. She looked at the name of whoever sent the message:

 _Dad_.

After a moment, she read the message.

 _Hey son. Due to the weather, I might not be home until tomorrow morning, unfortunately. To make it up to you, I was thinking we might invite that girlfriend of yours over tomorrow for Christmas dinner. Her folks are usually out of town for Christmas day, right? What do you say? Sounds good?_

Astrid looked at Hiccup, and then back at the phone. She smiled at the thought of spending Christmas with Hiccup and his father, and she knew Hiccup would do the same. Right now, though, Hiccup was sleeping, and Astrid didn't want to wake him, especially with how much pain he was in just a little while ago.

She looked at the time on the phone; _11:29 PM_. Stoick would understand why Hiccup wouldn't respond. It was late. If he didn't get a response, he would assume Hiccup was sleeping.

Astrid set the phone back down on the table and pulled the blanket further over Hiccup's shoulder.

All at once, t didn't matter that the snow was keeping her grounded. She didn't care that she would be grounded there until morning, most likely, by the deep snow. If she hadn't been snowed in, Hiccup would have been left to fight his phantom pain alone.

She smiled softly and pulled him closer against her side.

She would always be glad to fight with him, no matter what it was.

And suddenly, the storm didn't seem so unfortunate after all.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Hello! My first Modern one-shot in this collection of hurt/comfort, and it was requested by Lightclaw's Shadow. And I just have to say, on one of my other Modern stories, someone asked me to stop writing in a Modern universe because, well, they didn't like Modern AUs, I suppose (their guest username was Modernhater, literally).**

 **And I'm not pointing fingers at anyone, of course, because I completely understand if someone doesn't like a Modern story. But, honestly, if anyone tells me that they hate Modern AUs or tell me not to write them, I just have to say that I really won't stop, honestly. I don't get easily discouraged by discouraging reviews and what not. :)**

 **You can let me know what you liked, what you didn't like, for sure. If you have constructive criticism, please feel free to give it to me. :) But preferably** _ **constructive**_ **criticism that makes me a better writer, not the criticism that makes me...well...you know, a little disappointed.**

 **Thanks guys, so much! :D**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	16. Waves of Terror Part 1

**Title: Waves of Terror Part 1**

 **Summary: When Dagur attacks Dragon's Edge, Hiccup gives himself up to protect the other riders and leaves with Dagur. However, he suffered many severe wounds during Dagur's attack, and a nasty poison now burns through his veins. Will Stoick and Toothless be able to save him in time, or will they lose Hiccup to his injuries?**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Stoick**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family**

 **Rating: Mild T**

 **Requested by: AnimeAngel, Guest**

* * *

Stoick raced through the fog that covered the area like a thick blanket, his eyes scanning for any sign of any _thing_ or any _one_ who could help him.

More importantly, help Hiccup.

"HELP!" he shouted. It wasn't a very viking-like thing to do, perhaps, shout for help as he did, but he was desperate now. Desperate to save his son, who was a limp, unmoving, barely breathing dead weight in his arms.

"Hold on, Hiccup," Stoick whispered, holding Hiccup closer to his chest. Hiccup's eyes were barely open, but they were glassy, exhausted, and glazed over. Stoick felt his temperature for the utmost time. No, that fever was still burning strong…

"HELP, PLEASE!" he shouted again. "HELP!"

...

 _ **Three days ago . . .**_

Hiccup swung his sword upwards to parry against Dagur's blow. This was supposed to be a calm, peaceful day at the Edge. Hiccup's father had even come all the way from Berk just to see all the work Hiccup and the other riders had put into their outpost.

It was truly astonishing.

Except, it would have been even more astonishing if the Berserkers hadn't been waiting for them. It was a surprise attack, and Hiccup didn't know how they even managed to pull it off. Dagur hadn't known where Dragon's Edge was before. Maybe he tracked them, somehow, or enslaved dragons to do the tracking for him.

Either way, Dagur was attacking, and Hiccup and the others were trying their hardest to fight back. They were giving it their all, every last one of them, from Snotlout and the twins to Astrid and Stoick.

Swords clashed. Axes swiped through the air. Dragons roared.

But the Berserkers were winning, and Hiccup knew it, as much as he wished to admit it, even to himself. He would never admit it to anyone else, especially not out loud, but a hero could not triumph all the time. Hiccup knew this better than anyone.

"Dagur, this is madness!" Hiccup shouted. He swung his sword for Dagur again. It was perfectly timed, and any other Berserker would have been severed by Hiccup's blade, but Dagur was able to swing his sword down to meet Hiccup's weapon, and suffered no harm.

Dagur pulled his sword back and swung it again. "I know, brother!" he cackled. Hiccup blocked his blow, ducked, and rolled. While Dagur hadn't suffered any injuries, Hiccup certainly had. His shoulder was bleeding from a shallow stab wound, and he was pretty certain his arm had been knocked out of socket sometime during the fight (not his fighting arm, thank Thor, but it was still painful).

There were other various scratches and gashes littering his body, but he really didn't want to think about that now. He was running purely on adrenaline. His head pounded, and his wounds throbbed, but not bad enough to keep him from fighting.

Yet.

Hiccup knew the moment he took a moment to think about the wounds would really be when the pain really set in, and he really didn't want to do that.

He didn't _really_ want to do _anything_ that involved not beating Dagur.

He _really_ wanted Dagur defeated and off Dragon's Edge.

He looked to the side. The other riders were fighting with their dragons keeping them defended, and really, they were holding their own pretty well. But they were outnumbered. Hiccup knew this. He knew that they were outnumbered, and soon, they would be overcome.

Unless…

"Dagur, wait!" Hiccup shouted, just before Dagur raised his sword to strike again. In confusion, Dagur lowered his weapon only slightly, and Hiccup wasted no time in doing the same. "You came here for a reason, Dagur," Hiccup said, "and I think I know what it was. You came here for me, didn't you?"

Dagur huffed and rolled his eyes. "Is it _that_ obvious, brother?" he asked. "Is there really any _question?_ Of _course_ I came for you! Why else would I bring my only half finished armada half way across the land for _nothing?"_

"Well, that's good," Hiccup said. "Because if you want me…" He dropped his sword, letting it clatter to the ground at his side. "...Then you have me," he said. "Under one condition."

Dagur grinned. "I'm listening," he said.

"You let my friends, and my father, and the dragons go, unharmed," Hiccup said. "You can take me back to...wherever it is you go, or you could leave me below the decks of your ships to rot, I don't care. Just let everyone else go."

Dagur smiled, tapping his chin with mock thought. Hiccup could already tell that the Berserker had made up his mind, and Hiccup was pretty sure he knew what Dagur's decision was. "Alright," Dagur said. "You have a deal, brother." He surged forward and gripped Hiccup's right arm; the one that was dislocated. Hiccup was certain Dagur had done it on purpose.

Dagur raised his sword above his head. "BERSERKERS!" he shouted. "Retreat to the boats! We have what we came for!"

Hiccup really hoped he didn't have to look at the shocked faces of his friends and father before Dagu dragged him back to the ship. He really, really, really, really hoped he didn't have to-

"HICCUP!"

Never mind.

Astrid, Snotlout, the twins, Fishlegs, and Stoick raced forward, but when they saw Hiccup, and how close Dagur was holding that sword to Hiccup's body, they stopped running completely, freezing dead in their tracks.

Hiccup looked down. His friends didn't look injured, and neither did his father, which was a great relief, but he was hurt, and he heard the gasps of his friends (specifically Astrid, and Stoick as well) as they looked at his bloodied body.

"If anyone makes a move," Dagur said threateningly, "you will have to find a new heir!" Hiccup knew Dagur wouldn't kill him yet, but even that information wasn't very reassuring, so Hiccup said nothing out loud.

"Good!" Dagur said. "We'll be leaving now! Goodbye! Thank you for your lovely hospitality, it has been simply wonderful! We should definitely get together again sometime! No thanks to your heir, who gave himself up early. What a party crasher." As he spoke, his men came up behind Hiccup and bound the Berkian's hands behind his back, _way_ tighter than what was necessary. Hiccup winced and hoped the others didn't notice.

"Hiccup, don't do this!" Astrid shouted desperately.

"Son!" Stoick shouted back, clearly agreeing with Astrid.

Hiccup knew they would protest to him giving himself up, but he had no other choice. He had to give himself up to Dagur, for the sake of his fellow dragon riders, and dragons, and father.

"I'll be alright!" Hiccup promised, except now, he didn't know how well the other Berkians could hear him. Dagur's men were leading him away now, towards the shores where their ships were docked. "Just don't follow me!"

And just like that, the Berserkers threw Hiccup below the decks of the largest Berserker ship, and sailed out onto the horizon, away from Dragon's Edge, Hiccup's friends, and his father.

…

Stoick was an excellent fighter, so naturally, he'd had no problem fighting off Dagur's men as they attacked. The other riders and their dragons had been doing remarkably well, too, slashing and stabbing as though there were no tomorrow.

However, Stoick had felt fear that only a father would fear as he watched his only son get dragged away by Berk's most dangerous enemy. Hiccup had given himself over to Dagur, which was both the most heroic and stupid thing ever.

Stoick knew, as soon as the ships were out of sight, that he was going to follow them, no questions asked. He was going to follow those Berserkers and get his son back, no matter the cost.

Snotlout's jaw was hanging open. "Did that seriously just happen!?" he exclaimed, anger clear in his tone. "HOW DID THAT JUST HAPPEN!? RRRRAAAGGH!" He kicked a Berserker helmet that had been left behind, and the metal soared through the air and hit resistance on the side of a building.

"Stop it!" Stoick commanded. "This is no time to panic!"

"This is the perfect time to panic!" Fishlegs cried. "Oh, Hiccup! I hope he's okay! You don't think Dagur would do anything to hurt him any more, do you?"

Tuffnut stepped up. "Well, he is Dagur the Deranged," he said, "and he does kinda like Hiccup, so there's really no telling what Dagur is going to do - OW!" He yelped when Ruffnut punched him in the stomach to shut him up. "What'd I do!?" Tuffnut shouted. "What'd I do this time!?"

"You're being an idiot!" Ruffnut shouted.

"Yeah, well, you're being violent!" Tuffnut yelled back.

"SHUT UP!" Astrid screamed, and to everyone's surprise (and Stoick's great relief), they listened to her instantly. "DO YOU GUYS EVER TAKE A MOMENT TO THINK THAT MAYBE YOUR STUPID ARGUMENTS AREN'T WHAT THIS WORLD REVOLVES AROUND!?" Astrid shouted.

No one said anything. Stoick was mentally cheering Astrid on. He certainly had a lot of respect for that girl.

"Did you guys even SEE the state Hiccup was in when Dagur took him!?" Astrid demanded. "He was barely standing! Dagur's already hurt him enough! A little more, and he could die! We have to get him away from Dagur before that happens!"

Stoick agreed. When he'd seen his son for the first time since the battle began, he hadn't exactly known what to think. Hiccup was covered in multiple head wounds, and the sleeves on his shirt had been ripped, exposing more wounds and more blood. His shoulder was bleeding heavily from an obvious stab wound, and his right arm was hanging limply at his side.

Astrid was right. Hiccup was injured enough as it was already. A little more...a few more stab wounds...a few more gashes, and maybe it would be enough to take Hiccup down...permanently.

"I'll go after Hiccup," Stoick offered instantly. "It is unwise of us to all go. We have to sneak up on Dagur and his fleet, which means-"

"You'll need the stealthiest dragon we have!" Fishlegs chimed in, and Stoick nodded. The chubby boy had read his mind. "Toothless!" FIshlegs said. "Toothless is the perfect dragon for the job! And I'm pretty sure Hiccup has an auto tailfin around here somewhere...I'll go find it!" He raced off without another word.

"We'll help!" the twins offered, and they too ran off.

Astrid stepped forward. "If it's alright, sir," she said, "I would like to go with you. You could use some backup out there…"

Stoick was already shaking his head. He knew how much she cared about Hiccup, and how desperate she was to aid in rescuing him, but he also knew that if Dagur spotted them flying in, he would kill Hiccup, no questions asked.

"I know, Astrid," Stoick said, laying his hand on her shoulder, "but you cannot come. You have to stay here, and help the other riders. Get ready for Hiccup's return, Astrid. We're going to need a lot of healing supplies."

Astrid sighed, but in the end, she nodded, although clearly reluctant. "Alright," she said. "I'll help them get everything ready. When you get back with him, we'll be in the Clubhouse."

Stoick nodded. He would have to remember that. "Thank you, Astrid," he said.

Sooner than later, Fishlegs and the twins returned with Toothless, who already had his auto tailfin strapped into place where his old manual tailfin would have been. The dragon looked concerned. Concerned, and furious. Just as Stoick felt. Concerned for Hiccup, and furious towards Dagur.

Stoick mounted Toothless as soon as everyone was ready. "Come on, dragon," he said. "Let's get my son back."

Toothless roared in agreement, spread his wings, and shot into the sky faster than an arrow.

…

Hiccup wasn't positive, but he was pretty sure a day had passed since he'd given himself up to Dagur and the Berserkers. Now, the pain had set in, and he spent his days crying, trying desperately to hold his tears back although it was to no avail, trying to hide his pain. For the first day, no Berserkers ever came. Well, one of them did, but the only thing he did was cut Hiccup's bindings before leaving again.

The pain was everywhere. Most the wounds had closed on their own by now, but Hiccup knew that over half of them were infected, and the other half of them were so painful, he couldn't even move without being overwhelmed by intense pain or slipping into unconsciousness.

No one gave him water. No one brought him food, not that Hiccup cared. The only thing he truly wanted was water. If he got that, he thought he would be fine, for at least another few hours…

The second day was when Dagur finally showed himself since Hiccup's capture. The hatch leading below decks opened, and Dagur stepped down. Hiccup lifted his head off the ground, trying to ignore the nausea his head wounds caused him.

"Good morning, good morning, brother!" Dagur cheered, sounding far too cheerful for the likings of anyone. "So great to see you!" In his hands, he held a dagger, and…

A canteen of water.

"Now, brother," Dagur said, swinging the canteen back and forth, "I know you want this, alright? I can see it in your eyes."

Hiccup shook his head. "Go," he spat. "Get out of here, Dagur."

Dagur pouted. "Aww, but I'm trying to be nice, Hiccup," he said. "Listen. I'll give you this water, if you want it, but I have to warn you...I _did_ poison it. Not deadly poison, of course. Just the poison that will make you weaker and sicker and in more and more and more pain until you're wishing you're dead."

Hiccup grit his teeth. "I said get out of here."

Dagur rolled his eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, brother," he said, "you're in _my_ ship, below _my_ decks, and therefore, _I_ make the rules here. I can do as I want, when I want to do it." He looked at the canteen of poisoned water again and smirked smugly. "How long can you go without water, Hiccup?" he asked. "A day? Well, it's already been a day...how about _two_ days? Three days? Could you survive that, brother, or would it kill you?"

Hiccup was gritting his teeth so hard at this point he was afraid he'd grind them to powder.

Dagur didn't say anything else.

He simply tossed the canteen of water to the floor in front of Hiccup and nodded. "Your choice, brother," he said. "Drink the poisonous water, or thirst to death. It's up to you."

Dagur then turned, and headed back to the decks, shutting the hatch and barring it behind him.

Hiccup swallowed hard, staring at the canteen on the floor, unsure of what to do. Should he drink it and face the poison, or should he let himself die of thirst?

Slowly, Hiccup decided on the first option, and he lifted the canteen of water off the ground, uncorked it, and drank all the water in one sitting.

He hoped that somehow, his friends and father hadn't listened to him about not following him. He hoped that somehow, somewhere, people were looking for him.

Now, he just had to wait to be found.

* * *

 **So, part 2 should be posted soon! Not so sure when, but soon. Probably tomorrow. :)**

 **Oh, and the user MessyBessyJackySassy, who writes quite a few HTTYD stories (seriously, you should go check her out, she's amazing. :D), is writing a new story, and the said user wanted me to give you guys a little "sneak peak", so to speak. I usually don't do this, but I wanted to this time, you know, because she talked to me about the storyline and main idea and...wow. It sounds like it's going to be a really beautiful, amazing story. But I can't tell you any spoilers. :) Here's the preview she sent me:**

 **Astrid: Hey, Hiccup. Whatcha up to?  
Hiccup: Nothing. You?  
Astrid: I have a knife.  
Hiccup: And that is relevant because...?  
Astrid: I want to cut myself. **

**So, that's the preview, and she wanted me to tell you guys. It's going to be an amazing story (of course, because it's done by an amazing author). So...yeah. That's about it. :) Look for Waves of Terror Part 2, and I'll see you guys next update! :D**


	17. I Believe I Can Fl - NOPE, NO I CAN'T

**Title: I Believe I Can Fl - NOPE, NO I CAN'T**

 **Summary: While Hiccup is testing a new version of his flight suit, it doesn't go very well, and Toothless can't catch him before he hits the water.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Requested by:** **GlaxeySkyGlim**

* * *

Hiccup stood at the edge of the cliffside, a body of water spread out below him. Strapped to his back was the prototype of Dragonfly Three (which came after Dragonfly Two, of course). Although the other riders were less than thrilled to watch their friend try his new invention, they didn't want to destroy Hiccup's enthusiasm.

Or, most of them didn't.

Tuffnut raised his hands. "Quick question," he said. "Didn't you, like, almost die the last time you tried this?"

Hiccup groaned and tossed his head. " _No,"_ he said. "I never almost died." Except, he had almost died a few times, but he wasn't going to say that out loud, especially in front of Astrid or Fishlegs, who would simply go nuts if Hiccup admitted it wa dangerous.

Tuffnut looked disappointed. His shoulders slumped. "Then why are you doing this?" he asked. "If you aren't going to do something dangerous, what's the point of hanging out here anymore?"

Ruffnut nodded her agreement. "Ugh, yeah," she said. "Do something stupid, Hiccup, that way we can give you leave to enter our club."

Astrid leaned forward. "Club?" she asked.

"Club?" Snotlout and Fishlegs echoed.

"Guys," Hiccup tried, "please stay focused. Guys?"

"Yes! Our club!" Tuffnut fist pumped, and then, he paused, his frown returning. "Wait," he said. "That's a club?"

"It is now," Ruffnut said, elbowing him in a clear "keep silent" gesture, which Tuffnut caught and reacted accordingly to.

"Guys, let's just focus on this test run of Dragonfly Three, alright?" Hiccup said, stepping towards the edge of the cliff. Toothless growled at him warningly, and Hiccup put his hands over his head. "Don't worry, bud!" he said. "I've got this under control! And remember, even if I don't have it under control, you can always catch me, right?"

Toothless growled, but he stayed very, very close to the edge of the cliff beside Hiccup, obviously not trusting that Hiccup's invention would keep him aloft for very long.

"Alright!" Hiccup said, clapping his hands together. He pulled the chord, and the wings of Dragonfly Three popped open, spread long across his back. "Feet on ground, knees bent, head forward, back straight, aaaaand…" He stepped back, and then, took off running. "I'M OFF!" he called, leaping off the side of the cliff.

The updrafts caught the wings of Dragonfly Three, and they kept Hiccup suspended in the air. For a while, Hiccup glided, laughing to himself, thrilled that this invention had worked out for the better.

But then, that moment of achievement was over. The wings of Dragonfly Three jammed, and before Hiccup knew it, he was plummeting towards the icy ocean water below.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" he screamed, trying to keep his cool although he was losing it entirely. "TOOOOOTTTHHLLLEEESSSS!" Hiccup screeched, desperately trying to pull on the wings in an attempt to open them again, but to no avail.

Hiccup heard Astrid and Fishlegs shout, "HICCUP!" in unison, but that was the last thing Hiccup actually heard before he slammed back-first into the ocean.

Toothless hadn't caught him in time.

Hiccup instantly began sinking, down and down and down, deeper and deeper, into the ocean's depths. His fingers scrambled to unstrap Dragonfly Three, because that was the main source of his being dragged deeper into the water, and when he finally managed to get it unhooked, he started kicking, desperate to get to the surface.

His vision blackened. He breathed in water. He kicked again, but now, his prosthetic was dragging him down. He breathed in more water. He tried undoing the straps to his prosthetic as well, but his movements were sluggish now. He inhaled more water, choked on it, coughed, swallowed more water, and continued the session over and over again.

 _You're an idiot, Hiccup_ , he thought.

That was the last thing he was aware of before he lost consciousness to the copious amounts of water swallowed and the horrible, choking, deadly lack of oxygen to his lungs.

…

"HICCUP!" Astrid screamed, as soon as she saw him hit the water. She instantly turned, raced to the edge of the cliffside and leapt off after Toothless, who was already diving towards his falling rider.

Neither of them made it in time to catch Hiccup, but that didn't mean they couldn't save him from drowning.

Toothless was the first to hit the water, and then, Astrid hit the water second in a perfect dive, her hands clasped over her head. She took a moment to let her eyes adjust. The salt water stung them, but she ignored it, scanning the ocean for any sign of Hiccup or Toothless.

And then, she saw them. She saw Toothless dragging what looked like an unconscious Hiccup back to the surface, and after knowing that Hiccup was safe, Astrid began kicking her feet, fighting to the surface of the ocean as well.

Her head surfaced over the waves, and she instantly began swimming to the shore after Toothless. She knew Hiccup was stupid, but she didn't think he would be as stupid as to pull a stunt like that over the _ocean_ , for Thor's sake.

Right now, though, she didn't care. She was only worried for his safety.

Toothless dragged Hiccup onto the sandy shore and instantly began roaring frantically and pawing Hiccup desperately. That wasn't good, Astrid decided, and she swam all the faster, hoping and hoping and hoping that Hiccup was alright and that Toothless was merely overreacting.

But he wasn't, Astrid realized as she stumbled to the shore and collapsed at Hiccup's side. When she rolled Hiccup over onto his back, her greatest fears were confirmed.

He wasn't breathing. His eyes were closed, his features were slack, his face was pale, and he wasn't breathing.

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted pleadingly. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him back and forth roughly, trying to get him to cough. "HICCUP!"

Nothing.

Nothing at all.

She didn't know what to do, so she did the only thing she knew how to.

She laid him back against the ground and began slamming her fists against his chest as hard as she could. When that didn't work, she locked her fingers together and began pushing Hiccup's chest, over and over again, desperate to force the water out of his lungs.

She didn't know much about drowning, but she knew enough to know that he had water where his air was supposed to be, and it was clogging his lungs, keeping him from taking a breath. When Hiccup didn't respond to the chest compressions, Astrid rolled Hiccup over on his stomach and tried slapping him on the back. She thumped his back with her balled fists, gritting her teeth.

"Come on, Hiccup," she growled. She pushed against his back a few more times, flipped him over again, and went right back to chest compressions. "Come on, come on, _come on, Hiccup_ …"

Nothing. He didn't cough, and he didn't breathe.

" _COME ON,"_ Astrid was desperate now, throwing her body weight into every compression she did. She winced when she felt one of his ribs crack beneath her palms, but she didn't stop. Hiccup couldn't die this way. He was _HICCUP,_ for Thor's sakes! He didn't die just because some stupid mistake in his invention!

Not on Astrid's watch he didn't.

"Come on! Breathe, Hiccup!" She was definitely pushing harder now, using every bit of her body weight with each compression. She wasn't even following a rhythm anymore. She was just slamming her hands onto his chest, trying to get him to cough up the water invading his lungs.

She did a quick mouth-to-mouth, and went straight back to the chest compressions. " _COME ON, YOU STUPID IDIOT,"_ she said desperately. _"BREATHE!"_ She slammed her fists down on his chest in a ditch effort to get him to breathe.

And to her shock, he _did_ breathe. He sucked in a breath and instantly began coughing, copious amounts of water spilling from his lips. Astrid was relieved, but she was also terrified that he would choke on the water and instantly began suffocating again, so in mad panic, she manhandled him into a sitting position and slapped his back - hard.

"Cough it up, cough it up!" she coaxed, slamming her palm between his shoulder blades in an attempt to force him to cough up whatever water was left in his lungs. And he did cough it up. He actually coughed up so much water she was surprised (and beyond thankful) he hadn't drowned.

He finally stopped, doubled over in her arms, panting heavily and breathing in desperate, raspy breaths. She rubbed his back, and he spat up another mouthful of salty seawater.

"There, that's it, that's it," Astrid murmured. She hugged him tightly, not caring about the position, just caring that her friend was still alive and breathing. "No more experiments, alright?" she said. "No more inventions for a long time, hear me?"

Hiccup nodded shakily.

"Alright," Astrid said. "Come on, let's get you dried off…"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Just a little somethin'. Not much, but yeah, it's somethin'. :) I really didn't know what else to put into this. Hiccup almost drowned, Astrid saved his life...not much more to write about. It's pretty self explanatory.**

 **So, it's a bit shorter than my other one-shots in this collection, but I hope you guys liked it regardless. And I might do a second chapter, if you guys want one, you know, an "I Believe I Can Fly - NOPE, NO I CAN'T Part 2". :) If I can fit all that in the chapter title...XD**

 **Until next update!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	18. Waves of Terror Part 2

**Title: Waves of Terror Part 2**

 **Summary: When Dagur attacks Dragon's Edge, Hiccup gives himself up to protect the other riders and leaves with Dagur. However, he suffered many severe wounds during Dagur's attack, and a nasty poison now burns through his veins. Will Stoick and Toothless be able to save him in time, or will they lose Hiccup to his injuries?**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Stoick**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family**

 **Rating: Mild T**

 **Requested by: AnimeAngel, Guest**

* * *

Toothless soared on and on and on and on. Stoick was beginning to worry. They had flown for so long now, he feared that maybe, just maybe, Toothless hadn't followed Hiccup's trail right, and this whole time, they had been going the wrong direction, flying away from Hiccup instead of towards him.

But then, Stoick saw them. Berserker ships, finally! Now they were getting somewhere. Stoick looked down; there weren't even that many ships at all. Maybe some of them had gone one way while the rest of them had gone about another way.

Probably in an attempt to make them harder to track down.

But Stoick trusted Toothless, and besides, Toothless wasn't tracking down Dagur's ships.

He was tracking down Hiccup, and if Toothless led Stoick here, then Hiccup must have been here.

"Alright, Toothless," Stoick said. "We'll sneak up on them, and locate the ship they threw Hiccup on. Once we find that, blast the rest of the ships into oblivion. Got it?"

Toothless growled and nodded, his eyes locked on the ships below.

"Alright then," Stoick said. "Let's get started."

…

The next day was when the symptoms of the poison really set in, and Hiccup spent most his time heaving up whatever was in his stomach, and when he wasn't doing that, he was whimpering and gripping his wounds as pain rocked through his being and churned violently like the waves of the ocean.

He didn't even remember what it was like to not be in pain anymore, or to not be sick or feel sick. He'd forgotten what that felt like.

The hatch opened again, right as Hiccup emptied his stomach contents for what felt like the tenth time that day. Dagur stepped down, smirking as he went. "I see you drank the water," he said.

Hiccup shut his mouth to keep himself from throwing up in front of Dagur again.

Dagur sighed. "Oh well," he said. "You could have just let yourself thirst to death. I do believe it would have been _far_ more painless, don't you think?"

Hiccup didn't dare open his mouth.

Dagur frowned and shook his head. "Oh well," he said, once again. "Looks like we're going to have to-"

He was cut off by a loud blast of what sounded like crackling fire, followed by shouts and screams of Berserkers, coming in all directions. Hiccup recognized the sound of that fire blast anywhere.

Because it wasn't a fire blast.

It was a plasma blast.

Dagur must have recognized it as well, because he instantly looked back at the hatch, and then at Hiccup. "Sounds like you little Night Fury friend has come to rescue you," he growled. The anger remained for a moment, and then, his posture relaxed, and he took a deep breath. "Well," he said, "let it never be said that I am not a man of my word. I told your little friends that if they made a move, they'd be looking for a new heir."

He drew a dagger and lurched forward, stopping only inches away from Hiccup's face. He smiled cruelly. "And guess what," he said. "They're going to be looking for a new heir."

Without warning, he plunged the blade deep into Hiccup's stomach, and Hiccup screamed bloody murder.

…

Toothless and Stoick didn't even need to track down the ship Dagur had put Hiccup on back when they were at Dragon's Edge.

The scream said it all.

They had been blasting fire at one of the smaller ships when they heard the ear piercing, familiar scream come from another one of the larger ships. When Stoick finally located the ship, that confirmed it.

Hiccup was on that ship, and the scream had come from Hiccup.

Stoick grit his teeth.

If Dagur hurt his son…

Toothless shot downwards towards the ship, firing plasma blasts at all the other ships in sight. Most of the soldiers leapt overboard for their lives while the rest of them tried (and failed) to keep the ship floating.

Toothless touched down on the deck of the ship, and Stoick dismounted. Not a moment after Toothless landed, the hatch on the deck opened, and Dagur stepped out, carrying a dagger the length of his forearm.

A _bloody_ dagger the length of his forearm.

Stoick grit his teeth even tighter and drew his sword. "Where's my son, Dagur?" he demanded.

Dagur whistled and shook his head. "Oh, you mean Hiccup? He's below decks, Stoick," Dagur said coolly. "Probably almost dead, now that I think about it. Not many people can survive a stab wound, especially someone in his state…"

Toothless roared warningly.

"I'll kill you, Dagur," Stoick growled. "I'll kill you-"

"No, you won't," Dagur said, "because right now, you have two options. If you take the time to kill me, Stoick, you'll miss out on your son. By the time you kill me and get to him, he'll be long dead. But, if you go down now, you might catch his last few breaths. In fact, he'll probably end up dying in your arms."

Stoick wanted to kill Dagur, but he wanted to get to Hiccup more. Every fatherly instinct he had was screaming at him to go down below the decks and find Hiccup.

So, naturally, that's exactly what Stoick did. He forgot about Dagur, a new goal in his mind. He flung open the hatch and leapt down below decks, Dagur's laughter echoing in the background and Toothless' pounding footsteps following Stoick the entire way.

And suddenly, they were below the decks, and Stoick was staring, wide-eyed and horrified, at his son.

" _HICCUP!"_ he pretty much screamed, and he raced over towards where Hiccup was lying. Instantly, as soon as he reached his son, he gathered Hiccup into his arms, cradling him not unlike he had done after the battle against the Red Death.

Hiccup's chest was rising and falling unevenly, and he was gasping and heaving for breath. At least he was breathing, but Stoick didn't know how long he would continue to breathe. His breathing was becoming worse and worse, even for the few seconds Stoick had been there.

"Hiccup," Stoick tried. "Hiccup! Son!?" It didn't matter what he shouted. Hiccup may have been conscious, but he definitely wasn't coherent. He must have registered his father's presence, because he leaned his head against Stoick's chest like he'd done when he was seven and came down sick, but that was all Hiccup did besides breathing.

"It's alright, Hiccup," Stoick promised (well, he lied, at least). Nothing was "alright". Hiccup wasn't "alright". No one was "alright", but Stoick wasn't going to say that now.

Toothless bounded over frantically, sniffing Hiccup desperately, licking the boy's face. The dragon recoiled at the distinct taste of blood, and settled for nuzzling Hiccup instead of licking him.

Stoick stood up with Hiccup in his arms, and carefully slid onto Toothless' back again. Toothless, who was very panicked and not in the mood to do anything but _GET HICCUP TO SAFETY_ , lifted his head, and blasted a large, gaping hole straight through the roof of the below decks.

Toothless spread his wings and launched himself out of the hole. As soon as they hit open air, he shot towards Dragon's Edge like an arrow fired from a crossbow, fast and unstoppable.

Soon, Dagur's fleet wasn't even visible any more, and with that worry out of his mind, Stoick took to assessing Hiccup's condition. The only thing Stoick could notice at this point was the amount of blood (fresh blood) covering Hiccup's stomach...no, it wasn't just covering Hiccup's stomach. It was flowing from an open wound in Hiccup's abdomen.

So Dagur really _had_ stabbed him.

Although he was heated with rage, Stoick knew there was no going back for Dagur at this time, and instead of plotting revenge, he pulled out a long, thick piece of fabric from Toothless' saddlebag and pressed it firmly against Hiccup's open wound.

Hiccup jerked and yelped, and Stoick apologized. Toothless flew even faster, if that was even possible.

"Hang on, son," Stoick whispered, brushing hair away from his son's half-closed eyes. Hiccup's forehead was burning with fever. "Almost there. Almost there…"

All in all, reaching Dragon's Edge took them a remarkably short amount of time, and when Toothless touched down, Stoick dismounted, Hiccup still cradled tightly in his arms. Fog surrounded the area. Night was about to fall. Stoick remembered Astrid telling him something about where to take Hiccup when they brought him back, but now, amidst his panic over Hiccup's life, Stoick couldn't remember anything she'd said to him.

So, he did whatever anyone else in his situation would have done...

 _ **Present . . .**_

"HELP!" he shouted desperately into the fog. No answer, to his horror. He looked down at Hiccup again. Instead of gasping for breath as he had done only moments before, now, Hiccup was hardly breathing at all.

"Hold on, Hiccup," he begged desperately, clutching Hiccup closer to his chest. He adjusted his hold just enough to feel Hiccup's forehead again. His fever hadn't dropped at all.

"HELP, PLEASE!" Stoick begged again. "HELP!"

This time, to his absolute great relief, a shout came back at him. "Stoick!" Astrid's voice shouted, followed by the sounds of flapping dragon wings. Stormfly flew in, landing directly in front of Stoick. The Nadder's pounding wings had blown the fog away, and now, Stoick could see that Toothless had landed directly in front of the Clubhouse…

The _Clubhouse. That_ was where Astrid said to bring Hiccup when they returned, Stoick remembered now.

Astrid leapt off Stoick's back, her eyes widening with horror as she looked at Hiccup. She gasped and put her hands to her mouth, looking torn between screaming and crying.

"Oh...oh my gods…" Astrid whispered in absolute terror. "Quick, hurry, please! Get him inside!" She raced towards the Clubhouse doors, and Stoick wasted no time in following her. She flung the doors open, raced inside, and Stoick did the same.

They really _had_ gotten everything prepared for Hiccup's return. Multiple blankets had been spread out across the floor, and multiple rolls of gauze and buckets of water were placed just about everywhere. Stoick carefully laid Hiccup down on the blankets, trying to ignore Hiccup's pained moans and resisting the urge to scoop Hiccup into his arms again and hold him forever.

Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins hurried forward, and started to work.

While Stoick sliced off Hiccup's shirt (it was already ripped by many slices from gashes and stabs from stab wounds, and even if it hadn't been ripped like that, the blood would have stained it too much to keep), Astrid and Fishlegs started at Hiccup's head, cleaning the gashes carefully, spreading salves on them, and wrapping his head tightly and securely in gauze.

They continued in like manner. The hardest part would have had to been when Fishlegs cleaned and stitched up the stab wound. That was when Hiccup jerked and screamed in pain, his breathing going back to being wheezy, desperate, and gasping. He'd thrown up twice, even in his half-conscious state.

"It's alright, son," Stoick whispered, carefully combing his fingers through Hiccup's hair, being careful as to not make any contact with the bandages wrapped around Hiccup's head. "It's alright...it'll be over soon…just keep breathing. Keep breathing, Hiccup..."

Hiccup's breathing did even out, just barely, but it was enough to set Stoick's mind momentarily at ease.

"There you go," he whispered. "There you go, that's it...deep breaths...deep breaths…"

Hours later, Hiccup was resting, worn out and unconscious on the blankets spread out on the Clubhouse floor, his breathing deep and even. Another blanket was drawn up around his shoulders, and Astrid and Stoick sat at Hiccup's side while Fishlegs, the twins, and Snotlout left to get some air.

Astrid was bathing Hiccup's forehead tenderly in water with a rag to bring down his fever, and across from her, Stoick held Hiccup's hand in both of his own. Even in unconsciousness, Hiccup was still in pain, and it showed whenever he tensed and squeezed Stoick's hand back, trying to find some way to fight against the pain.

It was unsettling, watching Hiccup like this. Stoick just hoped that he fought through whatever his fever was caused by, be it infection or poison, or any other awful thing Dagur could have inflicted on him.

Although Hiccup was getting older now (he would be _twenty_ in February, sheesh), Stoick knew he would never stop seeing Hiccup as his little boy. It was one of those things that came with being a father. Hiccup always insisted he was alright, no matter the situation, but Stoick knew better.

As much as Hiccup would try to deny it, he needed his father. And quite honestly, Stoick needed Hiccup, too. He didn't know what he would do without his son.

When Astrid left to get more water, that was when Hiccup's eyes opened. At first, it was just a weak fluttering of his eyelids, but then, when they opened, Stoick couldn't help but smile, if faintly. His son's green eyes were fever bright and exhausted, but there was immense relief ebbed deep in his stare, and it made Stoick feel a little reassured. Hiccup was coherent enough to recognize his location. It was an improvement.

"Dad?" Hiccup rasped, and before Stoick could respond, Hiccup tried to sit up. He didn't get far, though, and cried out sharply in pain. He would have fallen back again if Stoick hadn't caught him with one arm under his shoulder blades. Hiccup fell limp in his hold, yet his eyes remained half-open, revealing consciousness.

"Easy now, Hiccup," Stoick said, sternly, but definitely not harshly. "Easy, son, easy…"

Hiccup's eyes shut again slowly, and his deep breathing returned. For a moment, Stoick thought he was unconscious once more (it wouldn't have entirely shocked him), but then, Hiccup swallowed hard and opened his eyes again.

He gazed up at Stoick blearily. "Dad?" he croaked weakly.

Stoick nodded in confirmation. "Yes, Hiccup," he said. "I'm here. And you're lucky to be here, too, and alive, on top of that. You're quite the fighter, son."

"Mmnn…" Hiccup sank further into his father's supporting grasp, his head resting against Stoick's chest. Stoick reached over to the side, lifting a small cup of water off the wooden floorboards. Fishlegs had mixed herbs into the water that would help Hiccup relax, sleep, and keep his pain numbed.

"Here, son," Stoick offered, bringing the cup into Hiccup's view.

Hiccup shook his head weakly. "No, m'alright," he murmured. "N-not very t-thirsty…"

Stoick knew Hiccup didn't feel one hundred percent well (but who could, with a fever as high as his and not to mention the numerous wounds), or even fifty percent well, or, heck, even _twenty five_ percent well, but he also knew that Hiccup had to rest, and if he was in pain, he couldn't do that.

"You're not alright. You're dehydrated, amongst other things. Hiccup, you have to drink it," Stoick insisted. "Please, son."

Hiccup didn't nod, nor did he protest, and when he did neither, Stoick took it as an "alright" and carefully pressed the rim of the cup against Hiccup's chapped lips. Hiccup shut his eyes and swallowed down a mouthful of the herbal water, and Stoick slowly tipped the cup further.

It really didn't take very long for Hiccup to down the contents of the cup, and as soon as he did, he relaxed even further, his breathing going even deeper than before. Stoick set the cup to the side silently, careful as to not disturb Hiccup.

"Dad…" Hiccup whispered, trying to keep his eyes open.

"Shh," Stoick soothed, smoothing Hiccup's hair calmingly. "Rest, Hiccup. We can talk later."

He didn't get an argument from Hiccup. The only thing he got was the weight of Hiccup's head against his chest before Hiccup's eyes shut, and he slept soundly.

Stoick sighed. He couldn't really believe this was actually happening, or that this had happened at all. He couldn't believe his son was in this state, and he wanted to kill Dagur over and over and over again for doing this to his boy.

But…

Stoick looked down at Hiccup's slack, sleeping face. For the first time since returning to Dragon's Edge, Hiccup looked completely relaxed and at peace. If it hadn't been for all the bandages and the initial paleness of Hiccup's face, Stoick never would have thought his son was hurt at all.

It just went to show him that he could never let it happen again. He'd come so close to losing Hiccup so many times in the past, from when he lost his leg, to being struck by lightning, to being targeted by Outcasts and Dagur.

"This won't happen again, son," Stoick promised, although Hiccup was sleeping soundly now and couldn't hear anything his father said to him. "I promise you, Hiccup. I'll do whatever it takes to protect you."

Hiccup murmured incoherently, and Stoick kissed his forehead.

"Even if it kills me," Stoick finished.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 ***stand around awkwardly***

 **Uh huh…**

 ***tries to avoid angry glances***

 **Uh, yep...I just went there…**

 ***people bring out the pitchforks***

 **Oh crud…**

 **Sorry for the feels. :/ I just...you know, I just had to do that…**

 **I was just thinking about something, and I wanted to show it to you guys:**

 **Name: BeyondTheClouds777**

 **Class: Author**

 **Armed with: Laptop, fanfiction account, and cliffhangers . . . 10**

 **Defenses: See above . . . 10**

 **Speed: Updating Maniac . . . 7**

 **Fear and Fight Factor: Cliffhangers and feels . . . 10**

 **Feels Level: . . . 7328487238748723647273846165263512653153487283**

 **That's what I would look like...if I was a dragon…**

 **Heh heh...**

 **I just finished book 6 in the How to Train Your Dragon series, and I LOVED IT! Seriously, I loved it. In fact...I think I'm actually starting to like book!Fishlegs more than movie!Fishlegs. Book Fishlegs is the sarcastic voice of doom, and I love that about him. He's so hilariously adorable! :D**

 **Sorry, I'm ranting again. :P I'm getting the seventh book from my library, and it should get to me by the end of the week, so I'm pretty excited for that. :D**

 **Anyways, I might start closing requests pretty soon, that way I can start focusing on the requests I have (like, I think after I reach twenty chapters, the requests will close), so if you have any requests, now's the time to ask them. :)**

 **And please, no repeating requests. I get them the first time around. :) And also, I may or may not do the requests, so if something happens where you don't see your request, I have either a) decided not to do it or b) it's taking me a long time to do it.**

 **Generally, I try to do at least one request for each user. So, if you request five one-shots, I'll do at least one. :)**

 **Also: I will be breaking hiatus on** **OCTOBER 1ST** , **and when I do, chapters on this story will be reduced to the "updated at random" (probably three to four to five times a month) until my next hiatus. So, if updates on this story ebb considerably, that's why. :)**

 **And this was requested by AnimeAngel! *points to user* HELLO! :D Big thanks to AnimeAngel for requesting it! I had fun writing it. :)**

 **Until next update!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	19. It's Not Always Fun to Get a Scar

**Title: It's Not Always Fun to Get a Scar out of It**

 **Summary: Vikings deal with scars all the time, and some of them are worse than others. While the twins and Snotlout fight and argue about whose scar is the best, Hiccup sits quietly, hoping to not get involved...until Snotlout brings up his amputated leg.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Rating: K**

 **Requested by: thedeathlyfandoms**

* * *

The riders were having another bonfire at the Edge.

It wasn't so much as a bonfire as it was a campfire, but the other riders always referred to it as a "bonfire", so naturally, Hiccup and Astrid did the same. With the bonfire came laughs, and with the laughs came Tuffnut's spooky stories, and with the spooky stories came Snotlout waking up in the middle of the night, screaming about dancing yakrats, and with the Snotlout waking up in the middle of the night screaming about dancing yakrats came Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, and the twins laughing so hard they were in danger of choking to death.

Their conversations remained lighthearted in just about every way, shape and form - even Tuffnut's spooky stories were the opposite of spooky (Come on, seriously, _yakrats?_ Yaks the size of rats? Those would be _adorable)_ , even though Snotlout always got considerably freaked out.

Hiccup normally threw a notebook at Tuffnut when he became obnoxious (or, _more_ obnoxious), and that usually shut Tuffnut up pretty effortlessly.

This time, though, Tuffnut wasn't talking about yakrats or yakdragons or any other creature of his own imagination.

He was talking about battle scars.

"Listen guys," Tuffnut said dramatically. He sat on a tree stump with Ruffnut sitting on another one beside him. Their dragon laid between the two stumps. "There really is no contest that _I_ have the best battle scar out of everyone here!"

"Oh, yeah!?" Snotlout challenged. He was always one to make sure he was the best, of course, so Astrid expected nothing less of Snotlout. "No you're not! Battle scar smaddle spar! You probably don't even know what a real battle scar is!"

Tuffnut crossed his arms angrily. "I do so!" he complained. "Here! Look at this!" He rolled up his pants leg, revealing his calf. Sure enough, there was a white, jagged scar. It almost glowed in the firelight. "Aha!" he cheered. "I have the best scar! I got it in a really nasty way, too! That Zippleback never even knew what hit him! Or...um...both of them! Zipplebacks are the ones with two heads, right?"

Snotlout laughed. "Oh, pa- _lease_!" he said. "By the look of that scar, it was the Zippleback who hit _you!_ That's not a battle scar! That's just a scar to remind you of your idiocy! Now _THIS,_ on the other hand…"

Snotlout flexed his arm towards the fire, and a white scar was exposed plainly. It looked a lot worse than Tuffnut's did, and Astrid winced.

She honestly didn't see the reason for contests between whose scar was the best. Scars were an occupational hazard of a Viking warrior. It was nothing to go bragging about.

Astrid looked down at the scar on her own arm and sighed. Maybe, if she could get the attention off of Tuffnut and Snotlout, she could break up the contest.

"I got this one during Dragon Training all those years ago!" Snotlout bragged. "Isn't it something?"

"Well…" Fishlegs leaned in and frowned. "It's _something_ , alright."

"Quiet, Fishface!" Snotlout snapped. "You're just jealous because I have the super awesome battle scar, and you don't!"

"Hey!" Ruffnut protested. "What about me!? I was _born_ with a scar, right here!" She thrust her arm out in front of her, where a jagged, white line was ebbed into her skin. "See!? I was born with this scar! My mother says it's because Tuffnut kicked me sometime-"

"That's not a scar!" Snotlout said. "No battle scar, of course!"

"Hey!" Ruffnut said, once again. "It _was_ a battle scar! Do you know how hard it was dealing with _this_ guy, for _MONTHS_ , without escaping!?" She jabbed her thumb at Tuffnut angrily.

Astrid groaned. This was really beginning to get out of hand.

"Well…!" Snotlout started, only to stop, probably when he realized that he didn't have any other snappy comebacks. "Hiccup has the best scar!" Snotlout said, desperately. "And since I'm his cousin, that makes me better than all of you!"

Hiccup, who had been quiet during this entire conversation, lifted his head. "No," he said. "Do _not_ bring me into this."

Tuffnut looked confused, and he glanced back at Snotlout with question. "He has a scar?" Tuffnut questioned. "Where?"

"Well, duh!" Snotlout shot back. "He lost his _leg_ , for Thor's sake, Tuffnut!"

Tuffnut still looked confused. "Well then," he said, the competitiveness coming back into his eyes, "I suppose the competition comes down to me and Hiccup."

Hiccup stood up and backed away. Astrid could almost feel his unease rolling off him like waves, and she too rose to a stand. "Okay, Tuffnut, knock it off," she said. "Let's just all stop this whole thing for now, and-"

Tuffnut pushed passed her. "Snotlout was the one who said Hiccup had the best scar," he said, "and I want to see it!"

"Tuffnut, maybe you shouldn't," Fishlegs said.

"Hey, it's a contest!" Tuffnut said. "And if Hiccup wants to be a part of it-"

Hiccup put his hands forward helplessly. "I'd...I'd really rather not," he said, almost nervously. "I'm...I'm really not one to brag, honestly, guys. I don't want to have any part in this contest…"

"He said he didn't want to do it, Tuffnut," Astrid snapped. "Cut it out."

Tuffnut looked disappointed. "Snotlout was the one who mentioned it, not me," he said.

"Come on, Hiccup!" Ruffnut groaned. "Seriously! Stop being such a baby!"

"Tuff, Ruff, guys, I just-" Hiccup tried, but then, he backed into a boulder, and Tuffnut crossed his arms. "Um…" Hiccup looked helpless. "I actually think it's time I...you know...get to bed. Goodnight!" Before anyone could protest or respond, he turned and bolted in the opposite direction, whistling to Toothless as he went.

"Hiccup?" Astrid called after him, but he didn't stop. As soon as Toothless bounded out in front of him, Hiccup mounted the dragon, and the Night Fury took to the sky, flying in the direction of Hiccup's abode.

Astrid wasn't stupid; she knew Hiccup's leg had always been a touchy subject for him, and for Tuffnut to push him like that just wasn't right. For Snotlout to bring Hiccup into the conversation wasn't right, either, and it wasn't right of Ruffnut to comment the way she had.

She was about to turn around, to shout at her friends for doing what they did, but they were already back to their old argument on "who had the best scar". Fishlegs backed away, muttering something about going to bed, and Astrid didn't stop him. She wasn't mad at Fishlegs.

She looked back at the direction in which Hiccup and Toothless had flown.

Maybe her anger towards Snotlout and the twins could wait.

She called to Stormfly, and as soon as her Nadder arrived, Astrid leapt atop her back. "Come on, Stormfly," she said. "Let's go find Hiccup."

Stormfly cooed, spread her wings, and shot into the sky, flying straight towards Hiccup's hut.

It took them a remarkably short amount of time to arrive, and upon arrival, Astrid dismounted Stormfly, told her dragon to wait outside, and slowly approached the door. She paused, just a moment, before raising her fist to knock, but just as she did so, she heard a hoarse whisper, and froze dead in her movements.

"It's bad tonight, bud…" Hiccup's voice whispered. There was something off about his tone...almost as if he'd been...crying, and was trying to hide it. "It's...it's been bad for a while now...aahhh…" He hissed through his teeth.

Astrid then noticed that the door was open just a crack, and after little hesitation, she looked through the crack. She didn't qualify this as eavesdropping; this was checking up on her friend. There was a difference.

Hiccup was sitting on the edge of his bed, and Toothless was standing in front of him. Hiccup looked tired and doleful, while Toothless looked nothing more than concerned.

Toothless nudged Hiccup in the chest, and Hiccup laughed hoarsely, leaning his head against Toothless'. "Thanks, bud," he said. "It's...kinda nice...having someone who understands...even though I wish you didn't have to. It's no fun, is it?" He scratched Toothless' head and sighed. "Missing a part of yourself that was once there…"

Toothless cooed sadly in agreement.

Hiccup pulled away and smiled softly, although it was fake. "I'm glad I have you, Toothless," he said.

Toothless licked Hiccup's cheek, and Hiccup groaned just for a moment. He reached down, rubbing where his prosthetic met his flesh. "It hurts, though, doesn't it?"

Toothless nodded, once again in agreement.

Hiccup sighed. "It's been really bad lately, bud," he said. "And...I don't even know what to do about it anymore...no one else understands."

Astrid wanted to protest, but as much as she wanted to, she knew Hiccup was right. Neither her nor the other riders knew what it was like to lose a physical part of themselves. She couldn't imagine what it would be like.

Scars were one thing, but losing a _leg_...that was a different thing altogether.

At long last, Astrid took a breath, and pushed the door open. Hiccup lifted his head in her direction and sighed. "Hey, Astrid," he said. Toothless took a small step backwards, and Astrid approached. She tried thinking of something to say, but in the end, she was dumbfounded and speechless.

"How much did you hear?" Hiccup asked.

"Enough," Astrid said. She sat next to him on his bed, and when he didn't protest, she didn't move from her position. "What's up, Hiccup? You said your leg hurts, didn't you?"

She expected Hiccup to protest, like he always did, and tell her that he was alright and that she didn't have to worry, but instead, Hiccup simply nodded, rubbing his leg again. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, it's pretty bad right now."

Astrid sighed. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" she asked.

Hiccup shook his head. "Because," he said, "I don't like...drawing attention to myself. You saw how well _that_ went, and I didn't even say anything. I don't...I don't know _why_ Snotlout felt like he had to bring me into all that…"

"Because he's an idiot," Astrid said. "He can't hold a candle to you, so he tried to use the fact that you're his cousin to put himself in better light. Really, though, all that did was prove how _desperate_ he was."

Hiccup nodded silently, and Astrid didn't say anything else. The silence lasted a good ten seconds before Hiccup ducked his head and hissed through his teeth again, squeezing his eyes shut in pain.

Astrid grabbed the hand that wasn't clutching his leg and held it tightly. Hiccup didn't pull away. Instead, he squeezed her hand back so tightly she thought he would break her fingers, or cut off circulation. Or both.

But really, she didn't care. Broken bones were one thing. Missing limbs were another thing.

"Thor, Hiccup, I'm sorry," Astrid whispered. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and tried getting him to relax. "You should have told me sooner. You know I wouldn't tell anyone else. Why did you wait until it got this bad?"

" _Because_ ," Hiccup insisted.

"Because _what?"_ Astrid pressed.

"It's not easy, Astrid," Hiccup said. "It's...it's never easy. No matter...no matter how much time passes...I'll...I'll never get my leg back. It's a part of me, Astrid...or, it _was_ a part of me...and...it's one of those things...that time can't fix. Nothing...nothing can fix this. It gets easier...I guess...but that's only because you learn to _deal_ with it. It...it just becomes part of life. Like...like eating. It's just...one of those things that...gets embedded in your routine...and you can't change it...or take it out...it's just kinda... _there_."

Astrid squeezed his hand reassuringly. She didn't know what he was going through, of course, but if there was some way she could help him, she would jump on it. "Is there something I can do?" she asked. "What do you normally do when this happens? Do you ever take off your prosthetic?"

Hiccup shook his head. "N-not when it's hurting," he said. "The pressure...it...it helps...sometimes…"

Astrid nodded. She would just have to take his word for it. "You look tired," she said, and really, he did look tired. "Are you?"

Hiccup took in a breath, shut his mouth, and nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah...kinda…" He didn't say anything else. He simply leaned against her, his head on her shoulder, his hand enclosed around hers in a death grip.

Astrid couldn't help but inhale sharply. She hadn't expected the sudden contact. "Um...Hiccup-"

Hiccup opened his eyes again, blinking at her in confusion. "What?"

Astrid hesitated a moment, and then, she shook her head. "Nothing," she said. "Just get some rest, alright?"

Hiccup shrugged, leaned his head on her shoulder again, and was asleep within moments. Toothless stepped forward again, looking at Astrid with a heartbroken expression. Astrid smiled at the dragon and rolled her eyes.

"No, you're not getting replaced, you big baby," she chastised jokingly. " _You_ should have come and gotten me. Hiccup's more honest with you than he is with anyone."

Toothless gave her a look that said he was clearly done with this conversation, and he flopped on the ground at Hiccup's feet with a snort of anger. Astrid simply rolled her eyes again.

She planned on scolding the twins and Snotlout, but as it turned out, the next morning, she didn't even have to. As soon as Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Snotlout saw Hiccup and Astrid, they raced forward.

"We're sorry, Hiccup!" Ruffnut said.

"Yeah, we're really sorry," Tuffnut said, and he actually sounded apologetic. "Fishlegs talked to us about it this morning...we had no idea you didn't like talking about the leg…"

Snotlout nodded. "And I'm sorry I dragged you into that, Hiccup," he said. "I should have just kept my big mouth closed."

Hiccup laughed. "It's alright, guys," he said. "I accept your apologies."

"YES!" the three cheered in unison.

"So that just goes to show!" Tuffnut said. "I really DO have the best scar!"

Snotlout gasped, his eyes filling with anger once again. "Now wait just a minute!" he said. " _I'm_ the one with the best scar!"

"Are not!" Tuffnut shot back.

"Are too!" Snotlout argued.

"Are not!" Tuffnut said.

"ARE...TOO!" Snotlout shouted angrily.

They stared at each other harshly for a few minutes.

And then, they broke out laughing hysterically, as if they'd just heard the most hilarious joke ever.

From then on out, they didn't argue about which scars were the best and who was the bravest, and whenever they did, it was done in a joking manner, and generally, they made up all these crazy explanations as to how they got each scar. Tuffnut said that a yakrat bit his finger and gave him a scar, and Ruffnut said that her scar was when she fell face-first into a cactus while being chased by a homicidal clown.

Despite all their playful banters, they never brought Hiccup into it. They laughed with him, and he laughed with them in return, but they never brought up his leg ever again.

Who knows.

Maybe they weren't so thoughtless after all.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Am I the only one who noticed that Astrid really DOES have a scar on her arm? Her right (I believe it's the right) forearm? Any theories, guys, just for the fun of it? ;)**

 **So, this was pretty fun to write. It was requested by thedeathlyfandoms, just so you all know, and I thought the idea was a pretty great one, hence the reason I wrote it. :)**

 **I really kinda wish the series focused a bit more around Hiccup's leg. Not the series as a whole, of course, but maybe just one episode, or even a scene in one episode, where Astrid notices Hiccup limping, or something, and Hiccup explains phantom pains to her and how hard it is, having a prosthetic…**

 **I don't know...maybe I just have to stop drinking all that coffee first thing in the mornings. :)**

 **Until next update!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	20. Nightmares

**Title: Nightmares**

 **Summary: Hiccup has a nightmare one night, and wakes up, terrified that his friends are hurt. When he rushes to check on Astrid, he accidentally wakes her as well.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Rating: K+ (for the nightmare sequence)**

 **Requested by: Me! :D (BeyondTheClouds777) :D**

* * *

Rain. The first thing he noticed was the rain, falling from the dark, menacing clouds. The drops splashed against his head and soaked his hair, arms, legs, and body. There was no escaping the rain.

Hiccup was running. He was running through a forest, in the middle of an intense rainstorm. He tried to avoid getting hit by the fist-sized drops of water, but it seemed as though every time he avoided one, ten hit him to replace it. It was like one step forward, five steps backwards.

The mud splashed against his leg and prosthetic, but he didn't stop running. He weaved through trees, ducked underneath branches, ran straight through mud puddles, and didn't stop as if his life depended on it.

And then, all at once, he skidded to a stop, mud flying in all directions. He stood, breathing heavily, standing completely still with his posture stiff and tense. He looked to the left; more forest and rain and mud. He looked to the right; the same thing as the left.

Then, slowly, he turned his head and looked straight ahead of him with his keen, analyzing eyes.

Of course, he didn't need to analyze for very long. It was pretty clear what was happening.

Below the hill he found himself standing on, swords were clashing, crossbows were firing, and axes were swung. Arrows whipped through the air, one after the other, in a rapid session that seemed endless. The clouds swirled from black to a deep, crimson shade of red, and the mud puddles were replaced with blood, thick and bright red that painted the ground.

The rain stopped.

The forest somehow disappeared from behind him, and he could only look to the battle that laid ahead. It was a one-way trip, and it was one he wasn't sure he wanted to take.

But at the same time, he didn't feel like he could turn back. Turning back felt...wrong, for lack of better word. Turning back felt as though he were betraying his tribe.

So, he drew his sword - he didn't know where he found it or even where it came from, but he knew that he had it, and that was the important thing. Then, without fully thinking about what he was doing, he charged forward, stumbling down the hill, avoiding crimson puddles as he went.

The soldiers fighting didn't even take notice of him. They fought, the onslaught continuing with vigor. It was a slaughter. That's what it was. People were screaming, others were fighting, and some were even dying. The blue sky turned red, mirroring the frightening clouds.

Suddenly, all at once, the soldiers faded - all the soldiers, all at once. And then, just as soon as they disappeared, they reappeared.

Only this time, they were all dead, lying on the ground, their weapons sprawled across the blood soaked battlefield. Hiccup thought he was going to be sick. Everytime he turned around, there was a new body. Everywhere he looked, more corpses appeared.

Then, when he finally turned around in a full circle, he saw one man still standing. One man besides himself, standing over the bodies of…

Wait…

Hiccup had to look twice, just to make sure he wasn't seeing things. No, they were there. The bodies were right there in front of them, but he had a hard time bringing himself to the reality of the situation.

The bodies of his friends, dead and covered in blood. Dagur stood in the middle of their bodies, his face curved upwards into a smile that would have sent chills down a Monstrous Nightmare's spine.

"Oh, look what you've done, Hiccup," he spoke. His voice was thick and harsh, his eyes sunken and horrifying. "Led your friends to their deaths...led your tribe to their deaths…" He let out a dark laugh that seemed to rattle the very sky.

Hiccup shook his head feverishly, his eyes wide. "No," he said. "No, it's not...it can't...this can't be happening…"

"It happened, brother!" Dagur went on. "Your friends are dead, and it's all because of you! They would follow you anywhere, even if the mission was suicide! And look where it led them!"

Hiccup dropped his sword, digging his hands into his scalp. _No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No._

 _No…_

"Try to deny it as you might, brother," Dagur went on in a voice that sounded far too cheery, "there is no two ways about this! You led your friends to their doom!"

And then, suddenly, there were voices. Voices he recognized. Voices of his friends, ringing in his ears.

 _Hiccup, why did you led us to this?_ Fishlegs' voice. Hiccup tried to block it out, but he found that he couldn't. He tried putting his hands over his ears, but nothing happened.

 _We thought you cared...looks like we were wrong._ Snotlout's voice this time, and it was even more of a whisper than Fishlegs' voice. Hiccup shut his eyes. _Stop it,_ he pleaded silently. _Stop it, stop it, stop it…_

But there was no end.

 _Always the embarrassment._ Ruffnut's voice, which then changed into Tuffnut's voice: _Useless. Not the kind we can depend on for anything._

Hiccup didn't even know what happened, but that didn't change anything. He sank to his knees. It suddenly became hard to breathe. His chest felt tight, his throat constricted by invisible hands wrapping around it.

Then, he heard the last voice.

 _Hiccup, why?_

It was Astrid's voice, and for some reason, those two words hurt more than an entire sentence. Because it was Astrid's voice, and the voice was pleading and broken. Hiccup had never heard Astrid ever come across like that before.

And then Dagur was standing over him, raising his axe. The deranged man cackled, whispered, "It's all your fault," and then brought the axe down.

Hiccup bolted upright with a shriek of terror. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest, almost as though it were looking for a way to break through his ribs and escape. He couldn't see anything for a few moments, and when his vision finally swam into focus, he was met with wooden walls and a familiar setting.

Dragon's Edge.

He was still at Dragon's Edge.

A dream, then?

He dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to get his breathing under control. He was covered in a sheen of cold sweat, and when he touched his face, he felt hot, salty tears on his cheeks.

He was crying.

He was crying, and he hadn't even noticed it until now. He didn't think it was possible to cry without knowing it, but he supposed he was wrong.

He felt something bump his side, and he jerked and yelped in surprise. Toothless stepped backwards again, his green eyes almost glowing in the darkness. He growled worriedly, tilting his head in confusion.

Now Hiccup felt really bad. As if being able to remember his nightmare vividly wasn't enough. Now he just shoved Toothless away.

"Bud, I'm-" he started, but he couldn't continue. His voice was barely recognizable. It cracked multiple times, just as he was saying those two, one syllable each words.

He put his head in his hands and sobbed. The dream felt so... _real_. Too real. Almost too real to be fake. The reality in the dream...the blood...the bodies of his friends on the battlefield with Dagur standing over them…

Toothless nuzzled Hiccup's chest, and Hiccup flung his arms around his dragon's neck. "I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, buddy…"

It wasn't the first time this had happened. After the fight against the Red Death, he had nightmares almost every night.

But they had stopped years ago. He didn't think he would have a nightmare that bad ever again.

And yet here he was, clinging to his best friend as if he were his lifeline, soaking a patch of the dragon's scales with his tears.

He was lucky Toothless didn't mind.

At length, he pulled back, wiping his eyes feverishly with the back of his hand, his other hand resting on Toothless' head. Toothless licked his cheek. "I'm okay," Hiccup said hoarsely. "I'm...I'm okay. It was...just a stupid nightmare…"

A nightmare that had felt so, so real.

So real.

So very real.

His friends dead…

He swung his legs off the side of the bed and instantly began strapping on his prosthetic. His hands were shaking so badly he almost couldn't do it. He had to stop frequently while doing the task that normally took him five seconds.

Toothless crossed over to the other side of the bed, looking at Hiccup in obvious confusion. The dragon had such expressive eyes, and Hiccup and Toothless were so familiar with the other that Hiccup could see the unspoken question in the dragon's eyes: _Where are you going?_

"I need some air," Hiccup said, trying to keep his voice from sounding like it belonged to someone who had been crying and panicking for hours on end.

Toothless gestured to the door, jerking his head in its direction. _Want me to come with you?_

Hiccup shook his head. "No, bud, you can stay here," he said. "I'll be alright."

Toothless looked back at him with question. _Sure?_

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Hiccup finally managed to tighten the last strap to his prosthetic, and when he did, he rose to a stand. Without waiting for the dragon's response, he turned, raced out the door, and broke into a sprint.

The cold air bit into his skin. The sky was dark and cloudless, the crescent moon giving off just enough light for Hiccup to find his way across Dragon's Edge without stumbling and face planting the ground.

He had to see his friends.

He had to make sure they were okay.

The first hut he stumbled across belonged to Snotlout. Hiccup paused for a moment, and then pushed the door open.

Snores.

Yep, Snotlout was fine.

Hiccup closed the door silently and continued his sprint. The next one he came to was Fishlegs', and he opened the door slowly.

Meatlug lifted her head, flashing Hiccup a confused yet happy smile. Hiccup waved his hand and shut the door.

Fishlegs was fine.

He came to the twins' hut and got the same results; Ruffnut and Tuffnut were hanging upside down with their legs draped over the ceiling beams of their hut. Barf and Belch was curled up underneath them, probably, Hiccup figured, to make sure the twins didn't fall and hit their heads.

Not that hitting their heads would make them any more stupider.

The last one he came to was Astrid's, and he paused outside the door, trying to get his breathing under control. Astrid was the lightest sleeper out of their group. Waking her would be easy.

So, after making sure he was being as silent as possible, he carefully pushed the door open.

She was sleeping, a small mound under a blanket. Hiccup sighed and stepped back out of the hut, shutting the door behind him.

He was unaware that even the small sound of the door swinging shut had awoken Astrid. She sat up, just in time to watch as the door closed and latched shut. She stared at it in confusion for another moment.

"Hiccup?" she whispered in confusion. What was he doing up at this hour? And what was he doing in her hut?

Something must have been wrong. He wasn't a stalker, and by the looks of it, all he did was peer inside and leave.

She waited another second.

Then, she tossed the blanket to the side, slipped on her boots, and raced after Hiccup.

...

He wasn't hard to find. She knew his favorite places on the Edge, where he liked to go when Tuffnut and Ruffnut were being obnoxious and Snotlout was being rebellious. What she didn't know was why he was out in the first place. Sleep was precious. She of all people knew that. With Dagur's constant threats and new dragon species being discovered nearly every day, sleep was essential.

Hiccup knew that. Astrid knew he did.

Than why?

She found him right where she expected to find him: sitting at the edge of a cliff, overlooking the ocean with his intense eyes. Astrid watched him for a moment in silent confusion, pondering what she should do next.

She cleared her throat awkwardly, and Hiccup turned around to look at her over his shoulder.

"Oh." That was all he said for a while. "Hey. What are you doing?"

"So far I could ask you the same question," she said simply. She nodded towards the spot beside him. "Do you mind?"

He shrugged, which she assumed meant "no" and sank down beside him. The silence seemed louder than the waves crashing against the rocks below them. Astrid opened her mouth and took in a deep intake of air, ready to ask Hiccup for an explanation as to why he was sneaking around her hut, but Hiccup spoke before she even got a word out.

"I don't want to talk about it if that's what you're wondering." His tone was flat, but she heard the crack in it that he obviously tried to hide. He looked down at his hands, blinking slowly.

"What's this 'it' you speak of?" Astrid asked after another moment. "What's up?"

Hiccup shook his head. "Nothing," he said. "Nothing's 'up'. Except you and me, but I doubt that's what you meant. You should go back."

Astrid was not amused, to say the very least. He liked to play this card a lot. The "oh I'm okay go away and leave me alone and I mean this all in the nicest way possible" card. Or the "I'm totally not okay but you should leave me alone anyways and I'll suck it up and move on like nothing ever happened."

She hated that about him. He didn't like making people worry, but at the same time, when he tried to hide it, he only made people worry more.

"Why?" she asked after another moment of trying to pinpoint what was causing his odd behavior.

"Because it's still dark out and you could probably get a few more hours of sleep before the sun rises." That was all he said, and he said it in a flat tone without emotion in his voice.

Astrid blinked at him. "And you can't?"

"No."

Now, she had to admit, she'd been confused ever since she began following him, but now, he was just making it more confusing. "Why not?" she pondered.

"Because," Hiccup said as if it were obvious, "I have to be on lookout."

What? "For whom?" Astrid questioned.

"Dagur."

Astrid could have rolled her eyes. "We've been dealing with Dagur for a long time, Hiccup," she said. But then, she actually took a moment to think. "But you've never actually been this…" She twirled her finger around her head, trying to think of the right word to use to describe Hiccup's attitude.

"Intractable?" Hiccup offered.

Astrid shook her head. "No, that's not what I mean."

"Distant?"

"No."

"...scared?"

She jerked her head in his direction, and he broke eye contact, looking back at the ocean as if it had suddenly become very interesting.

"What's so bad about telling me what's on your mind?" Astrid questioned. "We've been friends for a while now. You're supposed to be open with your friends."

"But it's _stupid_ ," Hiccup snapped. "It's stupid for me to be like this right now, alright? Just go back and get some sleep. I'll just wait here."

"That isn't an answer, Haddock. Why are you so freaked out about Dagur right now?"

Hiccup sighed heavily, shutting his eyes. "Because he's a madman," he said slowly, his tone of voice going from irritated to quiet in a matter of moments. "Because...because he's still _out there_ , and he's still plotting his revenge, and he still wants to...find some way to hurt me...without actually hurting me...and the only way he can do that is to...well...hurt one of you guys."

"So...you're worried about us."

"Yes."

"You're worried Dagur's going to somehow find Dragon's Edge and kill us?"

Hiccup winced at the word "kill". "Yeah," he said. "Basically."

"But why? Where is this coming from? You didn't worry about this before-"

"Because I put you guys in danger," Hiccup cut in. "I always put you guys in danger. That's all I ever do. Dagur comes around? Oh, let's go find him, I say. Ever since the Red Death. No, ever since _before_ the Red Death. Before we made peace. I was still a walking match for dynamite that _always went off the minute I tried to do something RIGHT._ We never should have come here. We never should have done this."

Astrid grabbed his shoulders and turned him in her direction, forcing him to look at her whether he liked it or not. "Listen up," she said. "Coming here has been the best thing that's happened to us for a long time. And I mean _a long time,_ Hiccup. Danger comes...practically _anywhere_. You don't _put us_ in any more danger than we're already in."

"I don't even know what that _means!"_ Hiccup jerked away from her. "You don't _understand_. Dagur always targets me, but he knows the best way for him to hurt me is by hurting you. You guys...should probably...maybe think about leaving. Go back to Berk...you can join the Berk Guard, just like you always wanted to do. Fishlegs can continue being in charge of all the tours and everything that goes on like that. The twins can...be the twins, and Snotlout can keep doing whatever he wants to do. You guys know your callings. I need to reprimand Dagur before he gets out of hand."

Astrid would have yelled at him.

If she hadn't seen the tears in his eyes.

"Hiccup-" she tried.

"And it wouldn't matter anyway," Hiccup said, but this time, his voice cracked almost pathetically. "It wouldn't matter...because...Dagur knows you'd follow me anywhere...he knows...and he knows you'll never listen to me when I tell you to leave and so if anything happens to you it will be _all my fault._ All my stupid fault because I couldn't _stop him_ and I couldn't...I couldn't...keep him from...h-hurting someone I actually care about…"

This time, he made eye contact. His beautiful, intense, green, analyzing eyes, studying her blue ones. He blinked, and a tear rolled down his cheek.

"I don't want him to hurt you," he whispered.

That was all it took. That was all it took before the wall he used to hide his emotions behind shattered. The wall of sarcastic jokes and witty remarks crumpled like parchment thrown into a campfire.

That was something Astrid had learned about Hiccup: his sarcasm was more of a self defense method. A method that helped him hide whatever he truly felt. If he was insulted, he made a witty remark to come back with. If he was challenged, sarcasm was his weapon of choice; a shield, if you may, that he used to keep his emotional side guarded.

But when that guard was penetrated…

He wrapped his arms around his knees and pulled them against his chest, burying his head into his hands as sobs shook his shoulders. Astrid never knew what to do in situations like this, especially when it came to Hiccup. Sure, he was her friend, and she was his, but at the same time, she hardly ever saw him cry. Maybe once, or twice, and each time, she didn't know what to do.

She normally socked him on the shoulder and moved on, and he did the same, laughing it off with a remark about having a bruise for a month.

But then she realized that that remark was also another wall Hiccup had set up for himself. Every remark he made to get off the original subject or brush away his feelings was another wall.

Those walls had just burst, and for the longest moment, Astrid did nothing.

Then, hesitantly, she wrapped her arm around his shoulders. He stiffened instantly, and for a second she was worried she was being too forward too suddenly, but then, he relaxed again, collapsing against her, wrapping his arms around her so tightly that for a second, she couldn't breathe.

Not that she cared.

She squeezed him tighter and let his tears soak her shoulder. She didn't care about that, either.

Although she was sitting there near the edge of the cliff, holding her sobbing friend against her, her mind was elsewhere. She thought about Dagur and his band of Berserkers. His barbaric followers, who didn't care about the lives they destroyed or the people they stomped over, just so long as they always got what they wanted.

Astrid hated all of them. Dagur was the reason Hiccup was suffering like this. At that moment, she swore revenge on every Berserker that ever lived, and every future Berserker that would live. She wished, in some sick, twisted way, that the Berserkers would attack, just so she could have an excuse. So she could go all out on them and pass it off as self defense.

She was certain, at that moment, that if a Berserker showed up on Dragon's Edge, she would kill it, no questions asked.

If it were Dagur, she would have enjoyed it, try to deny it as she might.

"I'm sorry." Her mind was brought back to her body by Hiccup's cracked, barely audible voice. All thoughts of Berserkers shriveled into something small she could hold onto for the time being. She could plot her revenge later. She couldn't be Hiccup's shoulder to cry on later. He hardly ever let himself be open.

"Don't apologize," Astrid demanded. Her voice came out sharper than she had intended. "Don't you _dare_."

He tried pulling back, but she held him tighter.

"Astrid, I-"

The warning sirens in Astrid's mind flared. He was trying to put up another wall. Another wall to keep her out. Another wall to hide whatever thing he was trying to keep bottled up.

Not on her watch he wasn't.

"Don't you 'Astrid' me," she said; once again, it was harsher than she had anticipated, but there was no taking it back now. Besides, it seemed the only way to get anything into Hiccup's thick skull was by yelling it. She took a breath, trying to keep her tone calm. "Just...let it out. It's okay. It's okay."

The wall vanished once again, and he clung to her tightly as though she were his lifeline. She didn't tell him to pull away.

How could she?

She didn't know just how long the two of them sat there, nor did she care. She said nothing except for the occasional, "let it out" or "it's alright" or "it's okay to cry", and even then, she kept her voice as quiet and soothing as possible.

At length, after what seemed like forever, he finally stilled and went silent, sagging against her. She pushed him back by his shoulders to look at his face.

His eyes were closed.

He was sleeping.

Great.

Whether or not that was sarcasm remained to be seen.

She sighed heavily, weighing her options: she wasn't going to leave him out here, that was for sure. She didn't want to leave him alone long enough to get Stormfly, because who knew what he would do if he woke up before she returned and found her gone. He would probably panic and go after Dagur then and there.

She didn't want that to happen. She couldn't yell for Stormfly, since it would wake the other riders, and Astrid knew Hiccup didn't want the others to know about this.

The other option?

Sighing to herself and mentally hoping Hiccup didn't wake up, she shifted and hefted Hiccup onto her back. He wasn't heavy, really, but he was limp. When he was sleeping soundly, he really _was_ sleeping soundly, and for that much, Astrid was thankful.

She was also thankful they weren't very far from Hiccup's place. Giving Hiccup a piggy-back ride (oh, he would be so embarrassed if he were to find out) for a long period of time would not be very comfortable.

It took her only a few minutes before she arrived, and when she did, she nudged the door open with her foot and stepped inside.

The first thing she heard was Toothless' growl, and then, the dragon's coo of concen when the Night Fury caught sight of his rider. Astrid kicked the door shut behind her and smiled reassuringly at the dragon.

"He's fine," she assured him. "I've got him."

Toothless didn't look entirely reassured, but he made no objections. When he didn't, Astrid crossed the room and managed to get Hiccup back onto his bed without waking him. She stood up straight again afterwards, her hands on her back.

What now?

She turned to leave, only to freeze when she felt fingers wrap around her wrist. She looked back at Hiccup, who looked back at her in response, his eyes just barely open.

"Thanks," he murmured. "Thanks...for everything."

She smiled back at him faintly. "You're welcome," she said.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **I don't even know where this idea came from. I honestly don't know where it came from, how it came to be...I was like, half way into writing it and I just felt, "Whhhhaaaat am I doing?" Haha, well, I guess that kind of happens to me a lot. I think a lot of my one-shots are born that way. I don't get it. *shrugs***

 **I always see this fanart of Hiccup swinging Astrid off her feet, or something romantic like that where he sweeps her off her feet...but honestly, I think we all know who would be lifting who in their relationship. :) Hiccup is a twig, Astrid is not.**

 **But honestly, I don't consider Hiccup "weak" or "wimpy" by any account. He grew up as a _blacksmith's apprentice,_ and later, he did a lot of work with dragons. I imagine he's got _some_ strength...he just doesn't like showing it off. **

**Unlike SNOTLOUT...**

 **I honestly think Hiccup might be stronger than Snotlout...**

 **He just doesn't brag...**

 **Or show it off...**

 **What I really want to see is Hiccup and Snotlout arm-wrestling. Like, they could even open a Race to the Edge episode with the two cousins arm wrestling. That would be awesome. :)**

 **And I wanted to point out for sake of the last chapter that yes, I am fully aware of the leg-jokes in the RTTE series. The one-shot would take place sometime AFTER RTTE. And I don't think Hiccup is "ALWAYS" sensitive about his leg. He just doesn't like talking about it, which I think makes perfect sense for anyone in his position. :)**

 **AND IT'S JUST A HEAD CANON. You guys don't have to get mad over head canons. ;) Like, the "Astrid calls Hiccup 'Dragon Boy'" thing. That's my head canon. :)**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading, and I hope you guys enjoyed this. :)**

 **Until next update!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	21. Wounds That Never Heal

**Title: Wounds That Never Heal**

 **Summary: The battle with Drago scarred a lot of people, but none so much as Hiccup. In an attempt to take his mind off the pain, Hiccup ends up making everything worse. Luckily for him, Astrid always has his back.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Rating: K**

 **Requested by: Sophhascoconuts**

* * *

A month had passed since the battle against Drago, and for the most part, things were back to normal. It had taken every able hand and dragon to get rid of the ice left there by the Bewilderbeast during the attack with Drago, and even more so with rebuilding what houses that had been destroyed.

All in all, Hiccup couldn't complain _that_ much. Becoming Chief of Berk when he wasn't fully prepared for it was tricky, but he managed, and he had a lot of help from his friends and his mother. Fishlegs and Gustav were running the Academy while Hiccup was Chief, and for that, Hiccup was grateful. His friends were willing to help him in any way they could, and the villagers were also encouraging.

...But of course, things weren't exactly _all_ as they used to be on the small island. While most of the ice was gone, and while most of the injured villagers had recovered, there was still something different. Something missing. Something that would never be the same. Something that couldn't be fixed.

Hiccup didn't have much time to think about the death of his father during the first month. He spent all his time during the day working on houses, getting Toothless and the other dragons to dump the ice into the ocean, and at night, he was too exhausted to think of anything other than his bed.

It was after the island had returned to normal that Hiccup realized just how not-normal it truly was. _Normal_ would have his father as Chief. _Normal_ would have Stoick doing what he usually did, with his checks of the island on Skullcrusher and occasional visit to the Academy. _Normal_ would be an island that had his father living on it.

But things weren't the way they once were, and Hiccup knew he couldn't deny it, despite his strong will and adamant mind. His father's death was one of the things he simply couldn't change. If he could change it, he would, and sometimes, he wondered what it would be like if he _could_ change it.

Sometimes, he wondered what would have happened if he'd listened to his father in the first place, when Stoick told him not to go and talk to Drago.

Sometimes, he wondered what would have happened if he had _just moved out of the way in time._

Sometimes, he wondered what would have happened if he were the one killed by the plasma blast and not his father. Moreover, he _wished_ that he had been killed by Toothless' plast. At least then, his father would still be alive.

But regrets were pointless, at the end of the day, when Hiccup came to grasps with the truth, because his father was gone.

And he wasn't ever coming back.

He wasn't depressed. Well, at least not openly. He was simply...suffering in silence for the sakes of those he cared about. He wasn't open with any of them, ever. Not since the battle. When people patted him on the back or said _I'm sorry for your loss_ , he always brushed it off and changed the subject. He had become distant in his village, only focused on keeping his mind off the one thing it kept drifting to.

I suppose that was one of the reasons Astrid and the others were shocked when Hiccup flew Toothless into the Academy one evening, exactly thirty-five days after the battle with Drago. He dismounted Toothless and patted the dragon's neck, a quiet _thank you_ leaving his mouth. He turned to his friends and smiled unconvincingly.

"Hi," he said. "So, how are you guys doing?"

They blinked at him, almost in perfect unison.

Hiccup sighed. "I was wondering if you all wanted to do something," he murmured, shuffling his foot against the stone floor of the Academy. "I don't know, a flight, like we used to do, or a dragon race…"

He missed being with his friends, really, he did, but he felt like he had a hard time connecting with them since the battle. Especially Astrid. The girl could read him like a book, and she saw his distress. Sometimes, she confronted him about it, while other times, comforted him, and often just ignored him altogether, sensing that he wanted to be alone.

But he missed Fishlegs, the twins, and Snotlout, too.

As soon as he finished speaking, his friends' faces lifted. "You really want to do something like that?" Fishlegs asked. "It sounds brilliant, Hiccup!"

"Yeah, not a bad idea," Snotlout said. "What were you thinking we should do?"

"It really depends," Hiccup said. "I'll do whatever you guys want."

Astrid beamed at him. "Well, we're all ears for what you want to do, too," she said. "You mentioned a dragon race, or a flight around the island? Both of those things sound great if you ask me. Which one?"

Hiccup shrugged. "We could do a race," he said. "But we should hurry. My Dad-" He froze, suddenly realizing what he had just said. He was going to say _My Dad doesn't like it when I'm out too late_ , which was true. Or, it would have been true, should Stoick still be alive.

And there it was. The shocked looks on his friends' faces. Hiccup brought up the one thing he kept trying to forget. His father wasn't coming back. His father was _never_ coming back. Sometimes, Hiccup thought that maybe, just maybe, something would happen where his father would return.

But the thought was ludicrous, and he was finally beginning to realize that, even though it had been a month already.

"I'm…" he tried speaking, but it didn't really work. His voice was choked. He felt strangled, his chest tight and his throat feeling constricted. "Sorry, I...I just…" Just _what?_ What was "just"?

Then the tears stung his eyes, and he panicked just a little bit. He didn't want to see the reactions of his friends to him crying. He tried not to cry. He passed crying off and shoved it in the "weak" section of his life. Crying was weak. It made him feel vulnerable and insecure. He would much rather bottle his emotions up and keep them hidden.

But that wasn't working for him right now, and he knew he wouldn't be able to stop his tears once they started. So, he did the only thing he knew how to do.

He jumped on Toothless' back, and Toothless launched himself back into the sky.

"Hiccup, wait!" Astrid called after him, but Hiccup was in no mood to "wait". If he waited, his friends would see him cry. _Astrid_ would see him cry. If he waited, the bubble of his pent-up emotions would burst, and he wouldn't be able to do anything about it. He didn't want that. He really, really didn't want that.

So Toothless flew. He shot through the sky and soared over Raven Point Forest, close to the ground, his claws nearly skimming the treetops. Hiccup bent over and rested the side of his head against Toothless' neck, tears spilling from his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. Toothless growled at him worriedly, but Hiccup didn't respond, nor did he move.

And then they were crashing. In the end, Hiccup blamed himself, because he wasn't paying attention to where they were flying or even what he was doing with Toothless' tailfin. Toothless hit one of the trees and slammed into the ground. Hiccup was thrown, hitting the ground on his side. He propped himself up on his elbow, wincing little. He was used to crashing. He crashed a lot the first time he ever used Toothless' prosthetic tailfin.

Toothless jumped to his feet, unharmed and instantly bounding over to where Hiccup was still half-sitting and half-lying on the ground. Hiccup only cried harder. He didn't want to be Chief. He didn't want to cry. He didn't want to be weak. He didn't want to lead other people.

He wanted his Dad. He would give almost anything to see his Dad just one more time. He would do just about anything.

Scenes rushed through his mind: flashbacks of his father.

" _Shoulders back, chin up, son! This portrait's going to hang in this hall forever!"_ The day Bucket painted their portrait, which was still hanging in the Great Hall to that very moment, five years after it was painted. He thought about his father's words:

" _That is the only picture of my father and me."_ Hiccup realized that what Stoick had said applied to him now as well. Hiccup only had one picture of him and his father, and it made him sob all the harder.

" _I'm proud to call you my son."_ The day Hiccup fought the Red Death. The day Stoick saw Hiccup for who he truly was, not who he wanted him to be. The day Hiccup nearly died.

Hiccup and his father never got along very well, but at the same time...they were closer than they had been for a long time the past five years. And now, Stoick was gone, and there was no making up for it this time. There was no fixing it.

 _My father is gone...forever._

" _That's not treasure!" "To a father it is."_ There were so many little snippets in time that Hiccup remembered with a sudden clarity: the first time he tripped and fell in front of his father after getting his prosthetic, Stoick had been so protective over him, always making sure he was safe and alright and not in pain. There was one time Hiccup got Eel Pox, only instead of losing his marbles like everyone else did, his case was more elaborate, and the symptoms were more severe. Stoick never left his side even though he had other things to do.

He rubbed Hiccup's back when he was sick, encouraged him when he was down, boosted him on when he was ready to give up...there were so many things Stoick did for him that Hiccup couldn't even count.

And his father was gone now, ripped viciously out of his life.

Something touched his shoulder, and Hiccup sprang to his feet and stumbled backwards in a moment of terror and being scared half to death. He tripped over a tree root jutting out of the ground and fell backwards again, into a mound of brush.

"Hiccup!?" That was Astrid's voice, and it came from directly next to him. Hiccup gazed upwards at the girl, and she in turn stared back down at him. He wiped his eyes furiously, trying to make himself stop crying, but Astrid knelt down in front of him and grabbed his wrists.

She was stronger than him regularly, and that was on a normal day, when Hiccup didn't spend nearly half an hour sobbing his eyes out. Struggling against her was useless, and even though he knew it, he didn't stop.

"Astrid-" he tried, hating how choked and hoarse his voice was.

"No," Astrid said firmly, squeezing his wrists. "Stop it, stop it, stop it." She didn't sound angry, but she didn't sound particularly thrilled, either. Hiccup stopped fighting her, instead dropping his head as more tears fell from his eyes. If she wasn't going to let him wipe them away, than at least he could hide his face.

She loosened the grip on his wrists and took his hands instead. "Do you want to talk?" she tried, but he shook his head. "Hiccup, please don't do this. It's not-"

"No, don't," he said quietly. "Don't, it's not...not your fault-"

"What's not my fault?" Astrid let go of one of his hands and lifted his head to force eye contact. Even then, Hiccup looked down at the ground, or up, or anywhere but at her. She sighed. "You're so hard to talk to sometimes," she commented.

Hiccup exhaled sharply through his nose. "It's hard to talk sometimes," he muttered, just barely audible. "You don't have to be here. You can go-"

" _Go?"_ Astrid blurted. _"Go!?_ You make me follow you half way across Berk and all you have to say to me is _go!?"_

Hiccup put his head in his hand. _Now_ he'd done it. "I was just saying you can go if you want," he said. "You don't have to stay."

"I'm staying," Astrid said. "And you're going to talk to me, whether it's hard or not, alright?"

Hiccup didn't argue, but he wasn't exactly agreeing, either. Astrid didn't notice, because she kept talking; "You haven't been yourself lately," she said. "Ever since Drago. What's up?"

"It's nothing," Hiccup lied instantly, putting his head down again. "I'm just in a bad mood."

"Really," Astrid said in disbelief. "For a month."

Hiccup shrugged. "If you want to put it like that," he said, "then yes. It...it takes a long time, you know, to get over something like…" _Something like the death of my father._ He felt tears spring into his eyes again, and he jerked away from Astrid to wipe his eyes. "I have to stop crying," he growled at himself.

"Hiccup," Astrid tried.

"No, hang on," Hiccup pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes. "It'll stop in a minute...it'll stop. Please, stop crying..."

"Hiccup." She grabbed his hands again. "You have to stop doing that."

"Doing _what?"_ Hiccup snapped. "What am I _doing?_ "

Astrid released his hands. "What's going on with you?" she questioned before she could think about what she was saying. "You're never like this, Hiccup. You used to talk to me. You used to tell me everything. You...you used to tell me the truth." Her eyes were pleading, and he almost hanged it all and blurted everything.

Almost.

"I can't do that anymore," Hiccup said, shaking his head. "I can't. I can't."

"Why not?" Astrid asked. "What's so wrong with being open with your friends?"

"I'm...I'm the Chief of Berk now," Hiccup said, wiping furiously at his eyes again. "I shouldn't be weak. I shouldn't be."

" _Weak?_ " Astrid said in disgust. "Is _that_ what this is about?" Hiccup nodded hesitantly. "Hiccup," Astrid said, "if you think that being a leader is about sucking everything up and moving on, then you are _wrong_. You're wrong, Hiccup. You can talk to us...me, Hiccup. You can talk to me. You can talk to your mother, the twins, Fishlegs, Snotlout...even though he's an idiot. Well, you're an idiot too if you think you can keep this hidden from us."

Hiccup blinked. "I should be able to," he said. "I should be able to hide it. I should...please, stop crying…"

Astrid grabbed his wrists again, her grip so hard that Hiccup was certain he would have bruises. "Shut up," she said. "Just shut up. You're an idiot, yes. You have the wrong opinions of being a leader. You think crying makes you weak? You think crying makes you different? Well, guess what I did when I thought you died after the Red Death went down, Hiccup. You tell me. Do you want to know what I did? I cried. I cried, Hiccup, and it didn't make me weak. If anything, it made me stronger, because I wasn't hiding anything. Being a good leader is important, yes...but sometimes, part of being a good leader is being open to your followers. They won't listen to you if you won't talk to them. How could they? Why _should_ they?" She got to a standing position, pulling Hiccup up with her. "You can always be open with us. We care about you, Hiccup. All of us. If something's wrong, we want to know what it is. No." She squeezed his hands tighter. "We _need_ to know what it is. Is any of this getting into your thick skull, Haddock?"

Hiccup lowered his head. "I guess," he said. "I just...I can't…"

"And that's another thing," Astrid said. Her tone of voice had changed. It went from demanding and irritated to compassionate and caring in an instant. "You _can_ , alright? Never say that you can't. You can _always_ talk to someone. You can always talk to me, no matter what it's about. I love you, Hiccup. I want you to talk to me. I _need_ you to talk to me. And in honesty, you need someone to listen and yell at you sometimes." She tapped his temple. "Get something through that iron head of yours, got it?" She smiled shyly, and he smiled back. "So," she said at length. "I'm going to ask you again, Hiccup. Do you want to talk?"

And he spilled _everything_. He told her everything he ever felt since the battle against Drago, his mixed feelings, every time he had a nightmare or felt like he wanted to talk to someone, and then decided not to in the end. And she listened, nodding when it was appropriate and sometimes scolding him for some of his methods on not talking to people. He held his tears in as he spoke, not wanting to feel more pathetic than he already felt.

When he finally quieted, the silence was odd. Hiccup turned to walk away, but Astrid grabbed him and yanked him into a firm embrace. He didn't hug her back for a good while.

"There's one more thing I want to tell you before you run off," she said.

"I'm listening," Hiccup murmured.

Astrid hesitated. "Leaders are allowed to cry, too," she said.

That did it. That was his breaking point. He hugged her fiercely and sobbed into her shoulder, and she never told him to stop or pull away. He didn't feel embarrassed or weak. Not in front of Astrid, by any chance. She wasn't going to judge him, and there was nobody else around who would.

"I'm sorry," he gasped. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Astrid. I'm so sorry."

"No, don't," she said, seizing him up tightly. "Don't blame yourself. Don't do _that_ now, Hiccup. Anything but that."

Neither one of them knew just how long they were there in Raven Point, but it was no short amount of time. Hours, at least. Hiccup clinged to Astrid tightly as if she were the only thing anchoring him to the world, and she let him cry. She let him without complaint. Her shirt was soaked with his tears, but she didn't care.

Her shirt would dry.

Hiccup's eyes might not.

"Thank you," Hiccup managed to gasp out. "Th-thank you, so much, Astrid…" He dissolved into more heart-wrenching sobs, and Astrid held him even tighter.

"You don't need to thank me," Astrid assured. "But...but really, you _do_ need to talk to me, okay?" She pulled away and held his face in her hands, her palms flattened against his tear-soaked cheeks. "Okay, Hiccup?"

Hiccup shut his eyes and nodded feverishly. "O-okay," he agreed shakily.

Astrid smiled, kissed him, and helped him rise to his feet. "Here," she said. "I'll walk you home, okay?"

Hiccup opened his mouth to object, but Astrid beat him to it.

"Don't argue with me, Hiccup," she said. Her voice wasn't sharp and demanding; it was calm and soothing, almost pleading. "Don't you argue with me. You look ready to collapse as it is. I'll make sure you get home, and when you get there, you need to rest. No, you can't take Toothless. If you pass out from exhaustion, I won't be able to catch you and him."

Hiccup didn't argue, and Astrid knew it was because he knew she was right. She put her arm around his shoulders, and the pair began making their way back towards the village.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **HICCSTRID FLUFFINESS! FLUFFFFYYY! IT'S SO FLUFFY I'M GONNA DIE! *shakes computer screen back and forth violently* IT'S SO CUTE LIKE HICCUPANDASTRIDFEELSICAN'TTAKEITICAN'TTAKEITUUUUGGGHHHH-! *spasms out on keyboard* Ashashdgjhgedabnmsbrjohejrjnamsnd…**

 **FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELS! :D I hope you all liked this fic! Especially Sophhascoconuts, who requested it. They didn't request it specifically for "Ouch!", but I wanted to put it in. :) Thanks for the request! I hope you enjoyed the story. :)**

 **As usual…**

 **Until next update! :D**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	22. The Aftermath of a Battle Part 1

**Hey hey hey, guys! Long time, no seeeeeeeee! :D For all those reading "Stay With Me", I wanted to let you know that there should be an update on that pretty soon. Just to let you guys know. :) So, I hope you like this next clip! HERE WE GO! :D**

* * *

 **Title: The Aftermath of a Battle Part 1**

 **Summary: The Red Death was killed by none other than Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. But the Red Death didn't leave Hiccup unscathed...**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid, Stoick**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship/Family**

 **Rating: T (for injury)**

 **Requested by: HAHA, MEEEEEEEEE AGAIN! :D**

"Thank you...for saving my son," Stoick said gratefully, placing his hand atop Toothless' head. He never thought he would actually come to this point; thanking a dragon for saving his only child from certain death.

"Well, y'know," Gobber said, walking up to the Chief and looking his apprentice over, " _most_ of 'im."

Stoick followed Gobber's gaze, just before gasping. "I need a healer!" he yelled. "NOW!"

Astrid didn't know what was going on, but needless to say, the way her Chief yelled for a healer made her blood run cold as stone. A healer shoved past her, and she refrained from approaching. No, she still had a viking reputation to keep. She wasn't going to let them see her feelings for Hiccup.

Not yet, anyways.

The healer raced towards Stoick, and Stoick was thankful for having brought a healer at all. He had almost told her not to come, but then his experiences with dragon raids and witnessing many injuries had told him otherwise. Now, his son needed a healer, and they had one.

From his ankle down, Hiccup's foot was gone. Gone, just like that. Nothing else remained. The healer was quick with pressing a thick cloth to the wound to stem the blood flow, but even that only did so much.

Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Fishlegs ran up behind Astrid. The rest of the villagers were murmuring to themselves what they thought was going on, but no one knew for certain.

"What's happened?" Fishlegs asked. "Do you know?"

"If I knew," Snotlout snapped, "then we wouldn't be standing here like dumbfounded fools."

"You mean you don't already do that on a regular basis?" Ruffnut asked.

"No, of course I don't!" Snotlout shot back.

"Um, yeah, you kind of do," Tuffnut said. "No offense...oh, wait, yeah, yes offense."

"Watch it, Tuffnut," Snotlout growled, jabbing a finger at the male twin. Tuffnut took a step back, just before batting Snotlout's hand away.

"Hey, point that thing some place else!" he said. "You can put an eye out with that thing!"

"What?" Snotlout said. "With my finger?"

"You're putting my eyes out with your face," Ruffnut said, covering her eyes.

"Now that was just uncalled for," Snotlout said.

"Guys, stop it!" Astrid shouted. For once in their life, they listened to her instantly, turning in her direction just before they tackled each other in their pointless anger. "We don't have time to fight like this. Let's see if someone needs help."

"Alright," Snotlout said. Astrid was a bit surprised. In honesty, Snotlout was the last person Astrid expected to be the first to help, but then again, she really didn't know the soft side of Snotlout very well, so she ignored it with a nod.

As they were about to approach Stoick, Gobber walked up to them.

"We need to work on trying to salvage what we can from the ships and repair them as best we can!" he shouted to them and the other villagers, his voice echoing around the volcanic island. At first, no one moved.

"Well!?" Gobber said. "Get a move on!"

That snapped them to attention. The others began working, while Astrid walked up to Gobber.

"Did something happen to Hiccup?" she asked, even though she was pretty sure she already knew the answer to her question before she asked it. If Stoick's voice was any indication, then something was wrong.

Gobber nodded. "Looks like that dragon bit his foot clean off," he said. "Healer's working on salvaging what she can. If she can't do something, then we'll have to amputate his leg."

Astrid tried to process what she had heard, but it wasn't working very well. Hiccup lost his foot, and was more than likely going to lose his leg as well (if Gobber's tone of voice told her anything).

"Is there something I can do to help?" she asked hopefully. If Gobber said yes, then she had an excuse to be with Hiccup, and in honesty, she was really worried about him. Sure, she never truly acted like she cared about him, but deep down, there was something she had always liked about him.

She didn't know what it was, but it was there without a doubt. Who knew? Maybe she really _did_ care about him…maybe even more than she wished to openly admit.

Gobber nodded, breaking her from her thoughts. "Ya can see if the healer needs any help," he said. "I'm sure she does. Maybe ya can look after Hiccup while Stoick and I work on the ships."

Astrid nodded, and then ran forward without another thought elsewise. She just couldn't seem to stop herself. Stoick was still holding Hiccup protectively, only his cloak was wrapped around his injured son now. Astrid forced herself not to look at the wound the healer was bandaging. Instead, she stood right next to the healer, her eyes on the ground.

"Can I help with anything?" Astrid asked.

"Yes," the healer said. "See if you can find some barrels of water on what's left of the ships. I know we brought some on board."

Astrid nodded, just before turning and running off. After getting Snotlout to help her (he was actually more than willing, surprisingly), she and he managed to find one barrel of water and drag it over for the healer. The healer thanked her and Snotlout before taking the lid off, finding a cup in her satchel in which she used to collect some water, and then cleaning Hiccup's wound with it. He didn't even make a move in protest, which worried everyone watching him.

At length, Stoick stood up, leaving Hiccup to the healer's care. "Get the healer whatever she needs," Stoick said to Astrid before he ran off to help get at least one ship usable. Astrid nodded.

"What can I do to help?" Astrid asked the healer.

"Here," the healer said, dunking a clean cloth into the water and handing it to Astrid. "Keep this on his forehead. He's already getting a fever." Astrid nodded, taking the cloth and pressing it to Hiccup's brow. There was no reaction from him, which half worried yet half relieved Astrid. It meant he was too out of it to feel the pain of his wound. That was good, she supposed.

"Is he going to be alright?" Astrid asked.

"So long as we can break his fever, and as long as his leg doesn't get infected, then yes," the healer said. "Make sure that rag is wet enough, dear. We need to break the fever before it gets worse, and now's the best time to do it."

Astrid nodded before doing as the healer had said. Across from her, she heard a low growl. Toothless was staring at the healer with his teeth unsheathed, watching her every move as she tended to his rider. He wasn't watching Astrid as much; maybe he trusted her since Hiccup trusted her? Maybe that flight had done more than she thought.

"Yes, he'll be fine," the healer continued, "just so long as we get back to Berk in time."

For some strange reason, that didn't make Astrid feel any better.

The more the healer worked on Hiccup's wound, the more aware the boy became to the point where he was whimpering in pain, his muscles spasming. Astrid couldn't imagine the kind of pain he was in, losing his foot and feeling half conscious throughout the entire cleaning process. Astrid only felt worse when she remembered how Gobber said that they might have to amputate even more of his leg.

Hiccup had saved an island that deserted him, and he lost part of himself because of it. Astrid felt sick at the thought. She hadn't even treated him nicely. She never really joined in with the others when they picked on Hiccup, but at the same time, she never said that it was wrong. No one did. No one thought Hiccup was worth anything.

And yet here she was with that same Hiccup: the one who had saved them all.

"Keep him calm if you can," the healer said. "Waking up right now will not be the most pleasant experience for him...even though I think he's in a partial coma…"

"A coma!?" Astrid blurted.

"I know," the healer said. " _I know,_ it's awful, but it'll keep him from feeling anything that happens. Right now, he's only partially unconscious." The healer looked at her patient, looking worried at how his eyes were fluttering behind their lids. "His body's going to force him into a coma so it can heal itself," she explained hastily, "but-"

A low moan from Hiccup cut her off. "Tooth...Toothless…" the boy whimpered hoarsely. His eyes were still closed; it was almost as though he were sleep talking, because he certainly wasn't awake.

An instant later, a large mass of black scales nearly knocked Astrid over as Toothless barreled forward, growling worriedly and ruffling Hiccup's hair with his breath. The healer looked uncomfortable, and Astrid didn't blame her. It was going to take a while to get used to, Hiccup having a Night Fury.

"Um...dragon," the healer said. Toothless barred his teeth at her, and she backed off. Astrid didn't blame her for that, either. She looked at Astrid helplessly, although it was clear she didn't expect the girl to be able to do anything.

Well, Astrid was going to prove that wrong.

"Toothless," she said, hoping desperately that the dragon remembered the flight she, Hiccup and the Night Fury had just the day before, "you have to understand. Hiccup's hurt."

The healer stared at her as if she had sprouted wings, and Astrid ignored her.

"If we don't help him," Astrid said, "he'll die."

Toothless' eyes widened as if he understood everything she was saying to him. Who knew. Maybe he did? Hiccup did manage to train a dragon. Maybe they weren't the mindless beasts the Berkians thought them to be.

But, she supposed, that would also take a long time to get used to.

"Alright, Toothless," Astrid said calmly. "For now, if you could just step away and let the healer do her-"

Toothless growled, this time at her. Astrid didn't say anything else, instead watching in fascination as Toothless plopped right down beside Hiccup and laid his head on the boy's rapidly rising and falling chest. After Hiccup's breathing returned to normal, Toothless laid his head down on the ground instead, laying on the opposite side of where Astrid was sitting.

After another moment of hesitation, the healer stepped forward and resumed cleaning Hiccup's wound. Hiccup moaned and groaned in pain, whimpering and whining through the depths of his unconsciousness. Astrid watched him helplessly, not fully knowing what to do.

"Keep him relaxed," the healer instructed as if reading her thoughts. Astrid made the mistake of looking at her. She caught the sight of red blood staining Hiccup's clothes and the ground. If Astrid had a sensitive stomach, then her lunch would have been on the ground. She averted her gaze quickly, nodding at the healer's words before trying to do as she had instructed.

She lifted Hiccup's head off the hard, gravel-like ground and into her lap, the side of his head pressed against her stomach. While the healer continued to work in earnest, Astrid bathed Hiccup's hot, sweaty, convulsing face with the wet cloth. His bangs were practically soaked with sweat, and she kept brushing them off his forehead with the fabric she had been supplied with.

No one was watching her, and even if they were, it wasn't as though they would say anything about her caring about Hiccup. She had an excuse to be with him now; she was helping the healer keep Hiccup alive. Right now, she didn't have to worry about her "Viking reputation."

Unsurprisingly, there wasn't much wood that was salvageable, and all the wood combined would be enough to make at least one ship, but even then, it wouldn't be sturdy or trustworthy enough without days and days worth of work on it.

And looking at Hiccup, they didn't even have two - maybe three days before they lost him to his wound.

It had only been a few hours since they first found Hiccup wrapped in Toothless' wings after the Red Death went down, and yet he was already so much worse. His fever was raging to the point where when Astrid touched his bare skin for longer than thirty seconds, she had to withdraw it. It wasn't as though it were hot enough to burn her; it was just, the heat was startling to feel on someone still living. And not just that, but his entire body was a sickly pale, except for his cheeks, which were flushed red due to the fever that only seemed to be rising. His breathing was sporadic, and his face shined with sweat despite the soaking wet cloth Astrid was constantly holding against his forehead.

"Hang in there," Astrid whispered to him. "Hang in there, Hiccup. We'll get you home soon." But as she looked around at the Berkians trying like mad men to finish at least one ship, she knew that she was lying to the unconscious boy. It would take at least a few days to finish the ship, and then getting the ship back to Berk wouldn't be a short trip, either. Hiccup would die long before they got there.

Astrid shuddered at the thought and continued bathing Hiccup's face with the fabric, although it did next to nothing. Toothless watched Astrid and the healer sadly, looking helpless, which was odd, since Astrid had never actually seen a dragon look helpless before.

But then again, no one had seen a Viking actually ride a dragon, and she, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins had all done that, following Hiccup as they went to war against the Red Death.

When Astrid looked at the healer again, she saw that the older woman looked worried, and the words _healer_ and _worried_ and _boy who is sick and wounded_ were not a good combination when used in the negative sense.

"It's infected," she whispered, speaking more to herself than anyone although Astrid heard her anyway, whether she was meant to or not. "If he doesn't get real help soon…"

Her voice trailed off, and Astrid's heart skipped a beat. They were losing him. Hiccup was dying, and there wasn't anything anyone could have done about it.

Not until the ships were finished.

 _Unless…_

She was about to stand up and go talk to Stoick, but when she saw the Berkian Chief approaching them, she realized that she didn't have to get up at all. Stoick took one look at Hiccup lying in Astrid's arms before his face was overwhelmed by horror and sorrow. It was unnerving, since Astrid hardly ever saw the Chief so upset, and it worried her even more.

"Hiccup…" Stoick whispered in a voice barely audible as he sank to the ground across from Astrid. Toothless regarded him for but a second before his eyes shifted back to his rider. Meanwhile, Stoick looked at the healer. "How is he?" he asked, although by the tone of his voice he already knew the answer.

The healer shook her head. "He's bad, Stoick," she said. "His leg's infected, and if it gets worse, we're going to have to amputate it."

Stoick's eyes widened, and he put his head in his hands. "What have I done…?" he whispered. After a moment of grieving silently, he looked at the healer once again. "How long, before…?" he asked, his voice trailing off.

"A few days at the most," the healer replied. "Maybe two, or three if we're lucky. What's the word on those ships?"

Stoick paled, if slightly. "We can't salvage anything sturdy enough to make a ship within the day," he said. "It'll take us at least three or four before we have a ship ready."

This entire conversation was horrifying, because it all led to the same conclusion: Hiccup was going to die.

"We don't have three to four days on a ship," the healer said. "And even then, the entire trip back to Berk will be-"

"Sir," Astrid interrupted. They were wasting time talking about doing the impossible; besides, Astrid had had an idea before Stoick even started talking, and she wanted to tell them what it was, because it may just save Hiccup's life, "maybe my opinion doesn't matter, but I have an idea."

Both her Chief and the healer were staring at her instantly, and she realized that they were waiting for her to continue. "We rode dragons here," Astrid said. "I can take Hiccup back on my dragon-" It felt odd, calling the Deadly Nadder "my dragon" "-and the others with dragons can go back to Berk and bring some wood back here so you guys can work more with the ships."

She thought it was a pretty good idea, but when Stoick shook his head, she felt crushed.

"I understand that you rode dragons here," he said, "but we don't know next to anything about dragons."

"Hiccup does," Astrid said. "Toothless - erm...the Night Fury, I mean, saved him from the explosion. Isn't that enough?" She understood Stoick's fears; really, she did. The idea of taking Hiccup back to Berk on dragon back wasn't exactly the most inviting thing in her mind, either.

But the alternative was waiting for Hiccup to die in front of them, and in honesty, Astrid would pick dragon back over watching someone just a few months older than her suffer a slow, painful death.

"I'll be careful, Stoick, I promise," Astrid said. "I'll make sure he's safe, I promise that, too, but if we don't do it...if we don't...he'll die."

Stoick opened his mouth to say something else, and the healer cut him off before he even got a word out. "Stoick, she has a point," the healer said. "Look at him. Do you think he'll last another day by the way he looks, much less four or five? It's the only chance he has. He does by dragon, or...or he dies."


	23. The Aftermath of a Battle Part 2

**WASSUP, DRAGONITES!? :D So sorry I didn't update. My inspiration for writing has been...kersplat lately. And my school has been WAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY up. But, y'know, I'm studying Mythology for my literature assignments, and it's really funny, 'cause I read the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series, which actually makes Mythology SO MUCH EASIER!**

 **Like, they asked me, "What was Athena's origin?"**

 **And I was like, "I KNOW THIS ONE!" XD**

 **THANK YOU, PERCY JACKSON! Hahahahaha, I'm really just joking, really, but reading that series has helped me study literature quite a bit.**

 **Now, let's see where Harry Potter gets me...LOL! :D I love you guys, have a great week, and God bless! :D**

* * *

 **Title: The Aftermath of a Battle Part 2**

 **Summary: The Red Death was killed by none other than Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. But the Red Death didn't leave Hiccup unscathed...**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid, Stoick**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship/Family**

 **Rating: T (for injury)**

 **Requested by: HAHA, MEEEEEEEEE AGAIN! :D**

Stoick still didn't look open to letting his sick and wounded son go home on dragon back.

Right up until Hiccup groaned in pain, his breathing worsening to the point where he was gasping for breath and choking on the very air he was trying to suck in desperately. Astrid pressed her hand against his forehead, noted how high his fever had gotten, and then took to wiping his face free of sweat and grime once again. He still breathed as though he had recently emerged from underwater and was taking in much-needed oxygen.

"Alright, alright!" Stoick said. "Just get him home." Astrid nodded, letting Stoick take Hiccup from her before rising to a stand herself and walking towards her Deadly Nadder slowly. The dragon was sleeping, its tail curled around its body, snoring soundly. Some of the Vikings were poking it with sticks, and when the dragon got angry with them, it simply snapped the sticks between its teeth and went right back to sleep.

Astrid walked up to the dragon slowly, putting her hand on the dragon's muzzle, trying to wake it up while being as gentle as possible at the same time. "Hey, girl," she said. The Nadder stood up, yawned, and stretched, so it looked more like an overgrown cat with scales than a dragon. It cocked its head at Astrid and squawked happily. "Alright," Astrid said. "You know Berk? Where you came from?" The Nadder didn't nod, but it seemed to understand. "Well, we need you to take me and Hiccup back there," Astrid finished. "Do you think you can do that?"

The Nadder chirped happily, gesturing to her back. Before Astrid had a chance to mount her dragon, something bumped her from behind, and she turned around, meeting Toothless' toxic green eyes. He was looking at her pleadingly, almost as if saying, _Please don't make me stay here. Please don't take my rider._

"Toothless," Astrid said, "Hiccup needs help. He needs to get home." She eyed the dragon's prosthetic tailfin with a frown. "I don't know how to work your tailfin," she said regretfully, "or else I would take you. But you need to stay here, alright?"

Toothless looked like he would have rather fought the Red Death all over again instead of stay behind, but he bowed his head in a small nod, and Astrid focused on mounting the Nadder once again. The dragon crouched low to make it easier for Astrid, and once she was sitting straight up on the Nadder's back, Stoick handed Hiccup to her.

He wasn't heavy, but he was completely limp, almost lifeless in her arms. She held him tightly, supporting his lolling head in the crook of her elbow.

"Be careful, Astrid," Stoick said, just as the Deadly Nadder got ready to take to the sky. "I'll get the other riders to go get some wood, so you don't have to worry about doing that. Just...get him home, Astrid. Take care of him."

"I will," Astrid promised. Then, her dragon blasted into the sky.

Astrid had only ridden a dragon three times: the first time, she was sitting behind Hiccup on Toothless' back, enjoying the incredibility of flight through the beautiful, night sky. The second time, she had been sitting behind Hiccup on the Nadder as he led them to war against the Red Death, and after he got Toothless back, she was flying alone, following his every order. The third time was now, when Hiccup was unconscious in front of her, and she was clutching him tightly the entire flight back to Berk. She was most terrified of letting him go; oh, that would have been absolutely positively terrible.

She shook her head and tried not to think about it. No, she wouldn't drop Hiccup. She wouldn't. She didn't even know why she was afraid of doing that. There was no way she was ever going to drop him.

Not on her life.

And then the storm hit, and they were flying through solid rain and hail and snow. The winds picked up dramatically, and soon, the Nadder was fighting against the wind as it tried to knock the dragon out of the sky and into the ocean.

Astrid looked, trying to find a sea stack they could land on while they waited for the storm to pass. She saw one, and knew that it wouldn't take very long to get there, either, but Hiccup…

He was shivering violently, and she had nothing to cover him with to keep him warm. His fever was only rising, which didn't help Astrid's panic even slightly. He made odd choking sounds in his throat as if wanting to vomit and yet at the same time not being able to. He was being soaked from head to toe in rainwater. It was numbing enough against Astrid's skin; she didn't want to imagine what it felt against Hiccup's.

And the bandages around what was left of his leg were bloodstained. They didn't have time to land and wait out the storm. If they did, Hiccup would most likely freeze to death if his fever didn't kill him first.

But they also couldn't keep going. The winds were too strong. If they got any stronger, the dragon would be blown out of the sky and into the ocean, and the rain and hail certainly wasn't helping anything. If they crashed into the ocean, they would all drown, and worse, no one would ever know what happened to Berk's hero and the girl who was supposed to save him.

She was torn in two, but at length, she decided that the second option was really becoming their only option. At least if they stopped, then they had a chance. If they hit the ocean, it would be too late.

"Hey, girl," Astrid said. She really needed to pick out a name for the Nadder, but she supposed it didn't matter in the end. "We need to land, over there, in-"

Before Astrid could finish her thought, the dragon shot forward, its wings flapping desperately against the wind and other obstacles the storm so generously (sarcasm _so_ included) bestowed on them. It was then that Astrid realized the Nadder wasn't going to stop, and she could only hold onto the dragon and Hiccup as it continued fighting through the storm.

Then, as soon as it came, it stopped. Astrid opened her eyes (funny, she didn't remember closing them) and saw, just on the horizon, a small, insignificant dot that was getting significantly bigger until it formed the outline of an island she knew and loved.

Berk.

She could have cried with relief. She looked down at the Nadder, and the dragon looked back up at her, almost smugly. "Thank you," Astrid whispered. "You flew straight through that storm and got us to safety." The Nadder chirped, and Astrid had an idea. "You know," Astrid said, "that's what I'll call you. Stormfly."

Stormfly landed directly in front of the healer's abode, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. Astrid made sure that the coast was clear; she didn't want any of the Berkians who had remained to see her riding a dragon, especially not when they didn't understand anything that went on on the isle in which the Red Death was killed. She dismounted, clutching Hiccup to her and making sure his injured limb didn't touch the ground. He was completely limp, his head lolling against her shoulder, and it terrified the girl more than anything.

She looked back at her Nadder, who was lying on the ground. "Hey, girl," Astrid said. Stormfly perked up and cooed. "There's an overhang you can hide in...if you don't hide, people might attack you, alright?"

Stormfly squawked, spread her wings, and took off towards the hiding place in which Astrid had pointed to. Afterwards, Astrid took to practically dragging Hiccup to the healer's front door, kicking the wood and hollering for someone to let her in and that it was an emergency and couldn't wait another minute.

A healer opened the door almost instantly, gasping at the sight of Astrid and Hiccup, who was dead to the world with a raging fever. The healer whispered a word of surprise and raced forward, taking Hiccup from the younger girl and carrying him inside the abode. Astrid followed closely. Stoick had told her to protect Hiccup and take care of him, and Astrid wasn't going to do anything less.

She didn't really need to tell the healer's what happened, because it was already obvious. Besides, it wasn't her job. Her job was taking care of Hiccup, and she planned to do that.

The healer beckoned more of the other healers to her while she laid Hiccup on a table, folding a blanket multiple times to put under his head. Astrid shoved her way passed other healers and to her friend, and the healers let her.

Well, no one in the right mind would deny the wishes of Astrid Hofferson.

Not when she had her axe, at least.

The healers examined his leg, and Astrid didn't dare look. At length, they stepped back. "We'll need to take it," one of them said. "It's infected, and it'll only get worse. Find a clean sword and heat it."

Astrid paled. "Wait," she said. "Wait, hold on-"

"I got a sword," another healer announced. One of them started the fire, and they began heating the blade over it to the point where it was red.

"Wait!" Astrid cried. "You can't possibly...you can't...you can't just chop his leg off! That's just barbaric!"

"The alternative is letting him die," the healer said as if not speaking to her, but herself instead. Astrid's heart sank. She would pick taking his leg over letting him die, of course, but at the same time...he was so young. Fifteen, in fact. Lots of people on Berk were amputees due to copious amounts of dragon attacks throughout the years, but no one was as young as Hiccup was.

She got it. She really, really did. She understood that it was either cutting off his leg or letting him die. There was no option three.

"Okay," Astrid said at length. "Okay, okay, just hurry up, please."

She was pretty sure she was ignored, and even if she was, it didn't matter much. The healers were already working as fast as possible. One of them handed Astrid a cup full of sickly-sweet smelling herbs and told her to force its contents down Hiccup's throat, and once she was finished doing that, the healers looked ready for the operation.

"Alright, Astrid," one of them said, "when we start, he's going to fight, so you need to hold him down." Astrid paled further, appalled by the entire situation, although she managed to nod shakily. "Hopefully the herbs help to keep him knocked out."

Hopefully? That didn't sound too reassuring.

"Alright, I get it already!" Astrid snapped. "Just do it and get it over with!"

The healer nodded to the others, who then set Hiccup's leg straight against the table. Just by them doing that, Hiccup cried out, and Astrid barely had enough time to turn his head before he retched what herbs they had managed to force into him.

Well, obviously enough, herbs weren't going to work, and that panicked Astrid. It just meant that he was going to feel more pain during the amputation.

Oh, lovely. Sarcasm _so_ included.

Astrid forced herself not to watch. She saw the healer hold the sword upwards, and turned her head away as she brought it down.

And Hiccup _screamed_. Astrid never thought that she would be struggling to hold down a boy who couldn't even lift an axe without nearly decapitating himself in the process, and yet there she was, pinning him to the table while he struggled and twisted against her grip.

Since when did he get so strong?

The sword sank through layer after layer of skin until it hit bone. Hiccup's screaming had turned into desperate, choking, pleading sobs and sporadic cries.

"Please...please stop…" he moaned.

"Astrid, hold him down!" the healer shouted desperately. "He can't thrash! We have to finish this!"

"I'm trying!" Astrid shouted back. She put her arms over Hiccup's heaving chest and tried to keep him still. "Come on, Hiccup!" she pleaded in a choked voice. "Don't do this! Keep breathing!"

Hiccup wished he could stop breathing. Honestly, he did. He wished his heart would stop beating, and he wished his lungs would stop working. He very much wished he would suffocate then and there. It hurt. Everything hurt, but his leg hurt especially. It was a blinding, burning pain, and all he could do was shriek and scream.

"Oww, stop it!" he choked. "Stop! It hurts! It hurts! TOOTHLESS!" He started screaming madly for his dragon, and in honesty, Astrid couldn't blame him. The Night Fury was Hiccup's first real friend in the world.

"Hiccup, calm down!" Astrid yelled to her voice over Hiccup's shrieks. "Please!" She managed to grab his hand and hold it in both of hers while also keeping her forearms pressing him to the table. "Look, see how hard I'm holding your hand?" she said. "Calm down! You're safe!"

Hiccup didn't feel safe. All he knew was that everything was hurting and he felt abnormally hot and he didn't know what was going on or where he was...

"TOOTHLESS!" he screamed. "TOOTHLESS!"

This wasn't right. Astrid's heart felt like it was being snapped in two, watching this scene unfold. It wasn't right. This shouldn't have happened. Not to someone so young. Not to Hiccup.

"Hiccup, calm down, please!" Astrid shouted while at the same time trying to keep herself calm. She didn't blame him for struggling, really, she didn't. He was scared, hurt, and in pain. The last thing he remembered probably was fighting the monstrous dragon. He didn't know what was going on, if she assumed right.

"STOP IT!" Hiccup shrieked. "STOP IT! IT HURTS!" He was squeezing her hand to the point where her fingers were almost purple, and his knuckles were white. "It hurts…"

"I know! I know it does!" Astrid cried. "Hang in there, please!"

He stopped screaming, probably only because his throat was raw. He didn't stop sobbing, though, hot, salty tears running down his face. "Hurts…" he whimpered hoarsely. "H-hurts…"

And then his eyes opened, and he stared directly at her. His green eyes were unfocused and watery, as if he wasn't fully seeing anything he was looking at. "It hurts…" he moaned.

"I know," Astrid said. "I know it does, hang in there…"

"P-please...please make it stop…"

"I wish I could." Astrid really, really, really, really, _really_ wished that she could have taken all his pain away. She looked at the healers, who were now bandaging the cauterized wound with gauze. "You're done," Astrid said. "It's over. You're alright."

If Hiccup wanted to respond, he didn't have a chance to, because he was unconscious, finally passing out from the torture of having his leg amputated. Astrid took a step backwards, horrified by the entire operation.

"Astrid?" one of the healers asked.

"I...I need some air," Astrid decided, turning and making a break for the door.

And if tears were cascading down her face, well...no one needed to know that.


	24. Flying in Reverse Part 1

**Title: Flying in Reverse Part 1**

 **Summary: While out hunting with his father and Gobber, Hiccup falls in a ravine.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Stoick**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family**

 **Rating: K+**

 _ **Note: So, a long time ago, I started writing a fanfiction called "Falling Down Isn't Very Fun," and I never got around to finishing it. So, I just found the document, changed it up a bit, and decided to post it as an "Ouch!" chapter. :D I hope you guys like it! :D**_

* * *

"Why are we going hunting again, Dad?"

Stoick would never understand why Hiccup always hated hunting. Ever since he was little he would wander off on all the hunting trips, get himself into some sort of mischief, and then have the same excuse each time: "I was hunting for trolls!"

The first time it happened, Stoick figured it was just his imaginative mind, and decided to take him on another hunting trip when he was older. However, two years later, the results remained the same. So, Stoick waited ten years, and yet, Hiccup still seemed to hate hunting.

"Because," Stoick said, "you're going to be Chief soon, and you need to learn how to hunt."

"Right," Hiccup said. "I'm sorry, what?"

That was another thing; Hiccup never listened when he wasn't interested. Even now at seventeen, it was hard to get him to pay attention to something he didn't care about.

"We could have brought the dragons," Hiccup said. "It would have been loads easier. They sniff something out, catch it, bring it back, and _bingo_. You get your catch without even having to catch it."

"Aye, he's got a point, Stoick," Gobber said; the only person other than the Haddocks to be there. Stoick had always taken Gobber along with them whenever he tried to take Hiccup hunting. For what reason, he didn't know. He glared at Gobber momentarily, and Gobber shrugged.

Stoick often times took Hiccup up on his ideas, while other times, the traditional way of doing things always seemed the best way of doing things, and often times (in the Chief's mind) the _only_ way of doing things.

"And why are we hunting again in the first place?" Hiccup asked. "It just seems like we're hauling a bunch of stuff in the wilderness, wasting hours worth of time, to do what one dragon could do in a matter of _minutes_."

"Dragons can't always answer our questions, son," Stoick said, although deep down, he was considering Hiccup's idea. It'd be faster, and then, Stoick wouldn't have to listen to Hiccup babble. But of course, once again, it wasn't the way their traditions worked.

"Hunting isn't a question," Hiccup said. "Hunting is an action, and thereby, dragons can accomplish this action easier than we could-"

"Hiccup," Stoick said, pausing long enough to hold a hand out to his talkative so., "Enough." Then, he began walking again.

"Really?" Hiccup asked as he jogged to catch up with his father again. "What does that mean? Enough?"

"It means that this conversation is over," Stoick said.

"Conversation... _what_ conversation?" Hiccup said. "It was more me talking and then you telling me to stop talking than a real conversation."

"Hiccup-" Stoick started.

"It's actually not a conversation at all," Hiccup went on.

" _Hiccup_ -" Stoick tried again.

"And if you _could_ call it a conversation," Hiccup said, "then it was definitely a _one-sided_ conversation-"

"Hiccup!" Stoick said, turning around so he could face Hiccup. Hiccup stopped dead in his tracks, and Gobber did the same behind him. "I'm going to teach you how to hunt one way or another," Stoick said. "It's important."

"Why?" Hiccup asked.

"Could you please stop asking questions every five seconds, Hiccup?" Stoick asked.

"Well, yeah, I guess so," Hiccup said. "But why can't I ask you a question? I just want to know what the point of hunting is when you have dragons that can do it a million times faster."

"Hiccup, it's traditional," Stoick said. "If we didn't make peace with the dragons, we would be hunting by hand and not complaining about it. Here." He tossed Hiccup a sack, and Hiccup caught it. "Set up that trap."

Hiccup groaned, and then turned to do as his father had said. Once the trap was set, he went back to Stoick and Gobber, brushing his hands together.

"Done," he said. "What now? Are we finished here?"

"No," Stoick said. "We just started."

"This reminds me of the time I went hunting back when I was your age," Gobber said to Hiccup. "Had a great time. You know, Hiccup, hunting is fun once you get the hang of it."

"Yeah, sure," Hiccup said. "I suppose it might be, if you like that kind of stuff."

Stoick sighed. What was it with Hiccup and hunting? Stoick couldn't see what was wrong with hunting. When he was growing up, he loved hunting as if it were a second nature. Hiccup, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. He only hunted because Stoick made him, and even then, he didn't seem capable of not complaining all the way about it.

"Here," Stoick said, handing Hiccup yet another sack. "Set this trap over there." He pointed deeper into the forest, and Hiccup nodded, racing off to do as his father had said.

Hiccup ran a good half the distance, and then knelt down. He couldn't hear his father or Gobber at all anymore. He opened the sack, and then began setting the trap. At least he was good at doing that.

It took him roughly ten minutes, but eventually, he was finished. He stood up, brushed his hands off, and then started heading back.

However, as he took a step forward, he heard something CRUNCH. He glanced at the ground, and barely had a chance to think _Uh oh_ before the ground caved in underneath him.

He screamed as he fell through the air, rocks and debris falling with him. He didn't know what else to do. He counted three seconds worth of falling before he hit the ground so hard he was knocked unconscious.

...

Stoick sighed as soon as Hiccup was out of sight, sitting down on a rock behind him as he tried to think straight.

"Weeeell," Gobber said from behind him, " _that_ could have gone worse."

"What's up with him, Gobber?" Stoick asked. It was more of a statement than a question.

Gobber shrugged. "He's your son, Stoick," the blacksmith said.

"Yes, but I don't really know him," Stoick said. "He's so...so _hard_ to get to know."

"He's never been your standard viking, Stoick," Gobber said. "He's always been different. It's not necessarily a bad thing. It just means that it might take longer than usual to understand him."

"He's just like his mother," Stoick said. "She could never stay in the same place for very long, either. Wish she were here to give me some advice."

"You're doing great, Stoick," Gobber said. "I don't think Hiccup could have a better father. And you know he loves you. It's not really his fault he's different, either. He wants to live up to your standards, but sometimes...well, he likes to be himself more than anything."

"And it's not a bad thing," Stoick said. "Sometimes, he's just-"

A strangled scream cut Stoick off. He instantly shot to his feet, and Gobber tensed. He waited, but neither of them heard anything. However, it seemed to make things worse. They knew that scream.

Stoick's heart skipped a beat.

 _Hiccup._

…

Hiccup awoke with a groan. The first thing he fully noticed was the fact that there was a fierce pounding in his head. He must have hit it. That was the source of him being knocked out. That much was already plain.

He tried to sit up, pushing himself off the cold, hard, unforgiving ground, just to yelp and fall back down again. Now, his ribs were hurting. Great. Just what he needed. First his head, now his ribs. He hoped they weren't broken. He broke one of his ribs on a flight with Toothless once, and it wasn't something he ever wanted to re-experience.

His vision swam back into focus, and he gazed about his surroundings. Dark. Just like he had expected it. He looked above. There was a hole in the ceiling; the source of his fall. He could see the stars through the hole.

It was still nighttime, then, meaning that he couldn't have been unconscious for very long. For some reason, that still didn't help his conscience. His father was probably worried sick, and if not worried, angry that he hadn't been being careful.

Hiccup wasn't sure which one it was. Sure, he knew since the Red Death his father had been more protective of him, but part of him was still worried about the fifteen years of his father being disappointed in him.

He didn't know which one his father would be.

The only thing he knew was that he needed _help_.

"Dad?" he called. His voice was weak, and cracked several times as he was speaking. "Gobber?" He tried to breathe, but an intake too big made his ribs burn, and an intake too shallow made his lungs plead for more air.

He hated it. He couldn't seem to get a breath good enough to please both his lungs and his ribs. He couldn't even sit up.

At length, he rolled over on his back with a wince and a short, shrill cry of pain. Laying on his chest certainly wasn't helping anything, and the pressure against his ribs made breathing all the harder. He gazed up at the stars, hoping that someone would find him.

He had to stay awake. He knew that much. If he heard his father shouting for him, or Gobber shouting for him, then he needed to be able to reply. It was the only way if they somehow didn't see the hole in the ground.

But he was just so…

 _Tired..._

…

"HICCUP!" Stoick shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth as he shouted his son's name repeatedly in hopes of somehow garnering a reply. However, nothing came. He didn't hear anything except Gobber shouting beside him.

"Hiccup!" Gobber called. He looked back at Stoick. "He probably got himself caught in one of his own netter traps again," he said. "It's not the first time it's happened, you know."

Yes, Stoick knew, but he also knew that it wasn't what happened. "No," Stoick said. "If he got caught in a trap, he would be able to answer us. He's hurt somehow, Gobber. It's the only explanation."

Gobber put up a hand, and then ended up lowering it again. Stoick knew by the gesture that Gobber knew he was right.

For some reason, being right didn't make Stoick feel any better. If anything, it made him feel worse. _He's hurt somehow. It's the only explanation._

He was right, and that was the terrifying thing about it.

They continued walking, until Stoick saw something he recognized.

A netter trap, newly set by the fact that nothing was caught in it. Stoick and Gobber looked at the trap.

"He was here," Stoick said. "He set the trap...why didn't he come back?"

That didn't make sense. Sure, Hiccup didn't like hunting, but it wasn't as though he would run off and hide, or even go back to the village. He ran off countless times when he was younger, but now, he was older and more sensible.

None of it was making sense. Stoick stuck to his first conclusion: Hiccup was hurt to the point where he couldn't reply to their shouts.

And that was terrifying.

Absolutely _terrifying_.

"HICCUP!" Stoick yelled at the top of his lungs.

…

Hiccup jolted awake when he heard someone shout his name. It was a terrible idea, since he knew now that his ribs were cracked or broken and sitting up was _not_ the best thing in the world to do, but he couldn't help it.

His father was shouting for him. He sounded terrified.

 _He probably is_ , Hiccup thought, _but who cares. He's around somewhere_.

Hiccup took in a breath, ignoring his aching ribs, and called, "Dad?" His voice echoed, but he ignored that. Maybe it would help carry his voice and make it sound louder with more effect.

"Hiccup!" Stoick called again.

"Dad!" Hiccup shouted. As soon as he did, he winced and clutched his ribs, biting his tongue so he didn't scream.

Stoick had never been more relieved. He and Gobber leaned over a mysterious, precarious hole in the ground; the source of Hiccup's shouting. They couldn't see anything because of how dark it was. Hiccup's voice was the only thing telling them that he was in there.

"Hiccup!" Stoick shouted once again. "Are you hurt, son?" If he was hurt, Stoick wasn't sure of what he would do.

Hiccup looked at the hole, and then back down at himself. He couldn't tell them how badly he was hurt. It would freak them out. "I'm a little bruised, but I think I'm fine!" he lied.

There was a pause.

"I know you're lying, Hiccup," Stoick shouted down to him.

 _How does he always know!?_ Hiccup asked himself. _He can't even see me and yet he knows! Maybe it's a father thing...or maybe I'm just such a terrible liar._

"What's wrong, Hiccup?" Gobber shouted.

"Nothing!" Hiccup tried again. "I think...I may have bruised a rib or two…" _Bruised? If they way they feel is any indication, then they're broken._ "...but other than that, I'm…" His voice trailed off. Severe dizziness plagued him. His head spun, and he gulped back a moan, putting his head in his hands.

"Hiccup?" Stoick asked. "Hiccup, are you alright?"

 _NO I AM NOT ALRIGHT_. He wanted to say that, but at the same time, he didn't want to disappoint his father by getting hurt so badly. "Y-yeah, yeah," Hiccup said, hoping his voice didn't make his pain too obvious.

He failed.

"It'll be okay, Hiccup!" Stoick called down to him. "Just...just hang on! We'll get you out!"

"Dad," Hiccup said, and then, unconsciousness claimed him.


	25. Flying in Reverse Part 2

**Title: Flying in Reverse Part 2**

 **Summary: While out hunting with his father and Gobber, Hiccup falls in a ravine.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Stoick**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family**

 **Rating: K+**

 _ **Note: So, a long time ago, I started writing a fanfiction called "Falling Down Isn't Very Fun," and I never got around to finishing it. So, I just found the document, changed it up a bit, and decided to post it as an "Ouch!" chapter. :D I hope you guys like it! :D**_

* * *

"Hiccup!?" Stoick shouted as soon as he heard Hiccup's voice trail off. "Hiccup!" he yelled down into the hole. No reaction.

"Stoick!" Gobber said, pulling a long piece of rope out of his satchel. "Here!" He grabbed one end of it, and then tossed the rest of it to Stoick. Gobber tied his end of the rope around a tree, and pulled it multiple times to make sure it was sturdy. "There," he said. "I know you're going to go down there one way or another, so might as well be safe about it."

For once, Stoick was happy they had brought Gobber along. If only they had taken Hiccup's suggestion and brought the dragons… "Thank you, Gobber," Stoick said.

"You're welcome," Gobber answered, "now go get Hiccup. He needs you."

Those last three words made Stoick move all the faster. He tied his end of the rope around his waist, wrapped the extra rope around his hand, and then lowered himself down the hole.

It took a few minutes for him to get to the bottom, and that worried him. Hiccup had fallen from the top of it. How far a drop was it? Ten feet? Fifteen feet? He had no idea. It wasn't a small drop, he reckoned that much.

As soon as his feet touched the solid ground, he untied the rope and searched for Hiccup. It didn't take long for him to find his son.

"Hiccup!" he shouted as soon as he saw the pale, motionless figure of his child on the ground. He charged over instantly and took Hiccup into his arms, worrying over his limp body. He had only seen Hiccup like this one other time: the aftermath of the battle against the Red Death. He had hoped then that he would never see his son in such a state again.

But fate was _cruel_.

There was a bleeding gash on Hiccup's forehead, and the blood was matting his bangs in large amounts. There was another gash on his stomach, and his skin was clammy and sweaty.

It scared Stoick all the more. At least Hiccup was breathing. That was the important thing. But he still didn't look good.

"Stoick, did you find him!?" Gobber called from above.

"Yes, I found him!" Stoick shouted back. "But he's unconscious! And he's hurt!"

"Okay," Gobber said, "grab him, grab the rope, and I'll pull you both up!"

After a few moments and nothing happened, Stoick grew even more worried. "Gobber!?" he shouted.

"Um...Stoick, we have a small problem," Gobber said back. "The ground isn't sturdy. I don't think I can do anything else without it caving in on you."

Stoick groaned under his breath. They didn't have time for this. "Okay, Gobber, throw me one of the satchels," he said. "Then get back to the village. Get Astrid or someone with a dragon. They can lift us out."

"Alright, Stoick," Gobber said. "Here. Catch."

Stoick looked up as the blurry shape of a satchel fell from above. He caught it with one hand, his other hand still holding Hiccup. Hiccup's skin was almost ice cold, and the freezing ground certainly wasn't helping him maintain body heat.

"I'm going back to the village for help," Gobber said. "I'll go as fast as I can."

Before Stoick even had time to reply, Gobber was gone. He turned his attention back to Hiccup, taking off his cloak and wrapping the boy in it to keep him warm. Hiccup's shivering died down, if just slightly. Stoick held him closer, brushing Hiccup's hair out of his face in silent comfort for them both.

How had he let it come to this? It was his fault, the more he thought about it. It was his fault Hiccup had been hurt. He shouldn't have taken Hiccup hunting. He shouldn't have. He should have listened to Hiccup when his son told him to bring the dragons. There were so many "shouldn't haves" and "should haves".

"D...Dad?"

Stoick looked down at Hiccup's half open eyes, relieved that he was conscious. "Hiccup," he said. He wished he was better at comforting people, but really, it wasn't the viking way. The viking way would be to suck it up and move on.

Hiccup had never been accustomed to "the viking way" of doing things. Unfortunately, that's what made it harder for Stoick to connect with his son.

Hiccup's eyes were covered with relief. "You...you came for me…" he whispered.

"Of course I did, Hiccup," Stoick replied, smoothing Hiccup's hair. Hiccup's eyelids fluttered. "Of course I did." He looked his son over, knowing he had to bandage his wounds before Hiccup lost a fatal amount of blood. "Hiccup," he said, "I need to set you down for a minute while I put something on your gashes. Alright?"

Hiccup nodded shakily, and Stoick set him down, albeit reluctantly, leaning Hiccup up against the side of the cavern. They had brought bandages with them in the satchel, because of Hiccup's suggestion. He had used the mindset that a dragon (or Gobber) could get caught in one of the traps by accident and wounded somehow.

Stoick made a mental note to take bandages wherever they went from there on out.

"They...they're bound to get infected…" Hiccup said, panting heavily. "Look...look behind you...are there any...greenish plants?"

Stoick turned around and began walking for just a few moments before he found what Hiccup had said. It was a sickly pale green plant with thick branches. "I see some, Hiccup," Stoick called back.

"Okay…" Hiccup said. "Now...bite a little piece off...but don't swallow it. T...tell me how it tastes."

Stoick picked one of the stems off, bit into it, and spat it out again. "It's bitter," he said.

Hiccup nodded. "Good," he said. "Now, just...rub as much as you can onto the gashes...it should prevent...infection…"

Stoick picked more of the stems and knelt down beside his son again. He pulled back the cloak that was still wrapped around Hiccup, and couldn't help but feel terrible at the sight of the blood soaking through Hiccup's clothing. He had seen tons and tons of injuries before, when they weren't at peace with the dragons, but seeing these injuries on his own _son_ was simply too much.

Stoick started with Hiccup's head, which seemed to be bleeding the most (if not just as much as the other gash). Hiccup flinched and hissed through his teeth as soon as Stoick began rubbing the plant against his wound, but it only took a few moments before Stoick deemed himself finished, and for that, Stoick as thankful. The wound on Hiccup's stomach would take longer, because it was a bigger wound, and it made Stoick worried.

He bandaged Hiccup's head, and then lifted Hiccup's shirt; the wound was still bleeding, although sluggishly. He began rubbing the herb against the wound, and this time, Hiccup reacted. He gasped, his breathing growing ragged, his hands clasping onto his father's forearm. Stoick froze, not knowing what else to do.

"Hiccup-" he started.

"No, no, I'm alright…" Hiccup said through his clenched teeth and ragged breaths. It was a lie; one that his father saw right through. "Just...just give me a few minutes...it'll get easier...hang on...I'm okay…I'm okay...I'm okay..." He sounded as though he were reassuring himself at that point. "Okay...you...you can keep going…"

Stoick didn't want his son to be in pain, and he felt like he was the one bringing the pain, but he also knew that if he didn't do this, Hiccup's wounds would get infected, and they couldn't have that. Hiccup knew it, too, and that was reassuring.

If only they had brought the dragons.

...

"There," Stoick said at long last as he finished tying off the bandage around Hiccup's stomach. "That should hold until we can get back to the village."

Hiccup nodded, exhausted. "Al...alright…" he whispered, seemingly on the very brink of passing out. "Th...thanks...Dad…and I'm sorry, for...for not being careful...and for getting hurt..."

Stoick looked at him with confusion. What was Hiccup going on about _now_? And why was he apologizing for getting hurt? "It wasn't your fault, son," Stoick said. "You don't need to apologize for anything. I doubt you were being too careless, setting a trap...and it was hard for me and Gobber to find the hole when it was there. There was no way you could have predicted that the ground would-"

Hiccup shook his head, and Stoick let his voice trail off. "That's not...that's not really the problem, Dad," Hiccup said.

Stoick leaned forward. "Then what is, Hiccup?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

Hiccup shut his eyes. "Nothing," he mumbled.

Stoick sighed. "Hiccup," he said sternly, "listen. If something's bothering you, I want to know what it is, alright? So, come on, then. Tell me?"

"I'm sorry I'm not the son you deserve," Hiccup blurted so suddenly Stoick leaned back once again. Hiccup instantly clamped one of his hands over his mouth. "Oh, Thor," he murmured. "N-no, I didn't mean it to tell you...oh for the...why does this stuff-"

Stoick grabbed him roughly by his shoulders, careful not to jostle him as he was still injured. Hiccup flinched, not because of pain, but because he was surprised. He didn't fully understand what his father looked so distressed about.

"Hiccup!" Stoick said. "What makes you think you're not the son I deserve!?"

Hiccup winced. "Because I'm not!" he said. It had been on his mind for days. A long, long time, actually; two years, nearly. He never actually said what he thought out loud, and now, for some reason, he felt as though he couldn't hold it in any longer. He just had to spill it. "Because I'm a hiccup!" he continued. "I'm...I'm the runt of Berk. I shouldn't be the heir...you don't deserve me as a son…"

He lowered his head, and Stoick released one of his shoulders. Hiccup waited for him to react, to yell at him, or to hit him - no, his father wouldn't do something like _that_. Not now. Hiccup was still expecting to be yelled at.

Or worse, his father would _agree_ with him.

Stoick sighed. "You're right, Hiccup," he said as if reading Hiccup's thoughts. Hiccup looked up at him, terror consuming his face. _I knew it,_ Hiccup thought. _I'm worthless and useless, and my father thinks so, too._ "But I don't not deserve you as a son because you're a hiccup, Hiccup."

Hope sparked in Hiccup's mind.

"I don't deserve you as a son, because," Stoick said, "you're brave, you're smart, you're kind, you're courageous, you're selfless, you're creative...you're so many things, Hiccup, and I could never be happier with another son. I couldn't ask for a better son."

Hiccup blinked. "R...really?" he asked. "Because...because in my mind...it's...it's the other way around…"

Stoick put two of his fingers underneath Hiccup's chin so that he was looking the boy in the eyes. "Really," Stoick assured. "I mean it, Hiccup."

Hiccup wasn't sure how he got there, but he was in his father's arms before he knew what was happening. Just hearing it...hearing his father tell him so many things he never thought about himself made him break. He didn't know what to say, or even what to do. He felt like crying, he felt like laughing, and he felt like passing out from exhaustion all at the same time.

Stoick embraced Hiccup back, and Hiccup felt tears stinging his eyes. He stubbornly forced them back, but it was hard, and growing harder, until eventually, he just let them fall. He was sobbing while telling his father how sorry he was, and Stoick kept telling him over and over that he had nothing to be sorry for.

"I'm sorry…" Hiccup whispered. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry...I'm not...I'm not Viking material…"

"It doesn't matter, Hiccup," Stoick said. "You're still my son, and I love you."

Hiccup shut his eyes, his face buried in his father's chest while Stoick held the back of Hiccup's head. "I...I love you too, Dad," Hiccup croaked. "But...but I still don't like hunting, and I'm sorry-"

"Hiccup," Stoick said, "I don't think we're going to be going hunting again for a very, very long time."

Hiccup sighed with momentary relief.

At length, when Hiccup finally felt as though he were going to be crying from pain instead of emotion, Stoick helped him lean back against the wall again. He couldn't help but notice that Hiccup looked paler than before, and his bangs were sticking to his forehead with sweat. Stoick moved Hiccup's hair out of his eyes; just as he feared, Hiccup was running a fever.

"Hiccup?" Stoick asked.

"Hmmm?" came the muffled response.

"Is the pain growing?" Stoick asked.

Hiccup shook his head. "No, not really…" he murmured. "But I'm dizzy…"

"I'm sure you are," Stoick said, putting his hand on the top of Hiccup's head. "You took quite the hit there, son."

"Occupational hazard…" Hiccup quipped. Stoick nodded, glad that Hiccup seemed well enough to make jokes. "But it still hurts." Now that worried Stoick. Hiccup never really admitted when something was bothering him. Even when he had phantom pains, usually, Stoick had to find out for himself. Hiccup didn't tell him anything.

Stoick sighed. He wished he had an idea of what to do. He wished he knew how to comfort his son. He wished Hiccup's mother was there. She always knew what to do in the past.

Without knowing what else to do and feeling helpless in all the other aspects, Stoick scooped Hiccup into his arms and cradled him against his chest. It wasn't much, but it was better than the cold, hard, unforgiving ground.

Hiccup nestled his head against his father's shoulder and quickly fell asleep. After another few moments, despite how Stoick didn't want to, he did as well.

…

When Stoick woke up, it was to someone shouting at him from above. Hiccup was still sleeping soundly with his head resting heavily against Stoick's shoulder, his breathing steady but with a rasp to it that made Stoick uneasy. He held Hiccup just a little tighter protectively.

"Stoick!" the voice of Gobber yelled, and Stoick was broken away from his thoughts once again. Stoick blinked, quickly remembering where he was and why Gobber was back. They were getting home.

Stoick looked down at Hiccup, who was a limp, dead weight in his arms.

They were getting _Hiccup_ home. That was the most important thing in the world at that very moment for Stoick, and he was certain that it was the same for Gobber as well.

"Gobber!" Stoick called back, standing with Hiccup cradled against his chest. His son was completely limp, and Stoick was careful to support his lolling head. "Did you get one of the riders?"

"Yes!" Gobber replied. "I got Astrid, her dragon, and Toothless! Here, we're throwing a rope down to you!"

"How's Hiccup?" Astrid called. She sounded worried, which was something Stoick rarely saw in the young dragon rider. He looked back down at Hiccup and felt his son's forehead. He was still burning up.

"Not too good, I'm afraid, Astrid!" Stoick called back up to her. "We need to get him up, now!"

A rope was lowered almost instantly, with a loop tied at the bottom of it. Stoick slipped his foot through the loop, and held Hiccup with one of his arms, his other hand gripping the rope tightly. "Alright!" he called up to Gobber. "You can pull us up now!"

"Alright, Astrid!" Gobber said. "Do your thing!"

"Stormfly, up!" Astrid shouted, and the next thing Stoick knew, they were being lifted out of the hole, and in a few moments, were on solid ground again. Stoick glanced behind him; the hole was nearly ten feet away, thanks to where they had been pulled by Stormfly.

Stormfly landed in front of them, dropping the rope. Astrid dismounted and raced over to Stoick and Hiccup, and Gobber did the same across from her. She gasped in shock at the sight of her friend. "Oh...oh Thor…" she gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.

Toothless pushed past her, roaring frantically. He nuzzled Hiccup's side and cooed worriedly when the boy didn't respond.

"He needs a healer," Stoick stated to Gobber. "Wh-"

"Take Stormfly!" Astrid offered. "You can take her back to the village, and Gobber and I can follow you on Toothless, or whatever. But yeah, take Stormfly and go." Her eyes remained glued to Hiccup's face, and she stared at him in horror.

Stoick didn't argue.

…

In the end of it all, Hiccup recovered, but it was a long recovery. Stoick, Toothless, and Astrid were there for him every minute of it, and when he did get back on his feet, everything was back to normal.

Stoick had never felt closer to his son, and Hiccup had never felt closer to his father.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **So like I said, I wrote this story a long time ago and never got around to posting it, so I hope you all like it! If you want to blame anyone if you didn't, blame my twelve year old self! *points* Way back there, somewhere!**

 **Let me know what you think of it, and I'll see you guys later! :D**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	26. That's My Cousin You're Talking About!

**Title: "That's My Cousin You're Talking About!"**

 **Summary: When another tribe visits Berk, a bully from said tribe gangs up on Hiccup. Unfortunately, he make the mistake of doing it right in front of Snotlout, who is less than thrilled to say the very least.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Snotlout, Astrid**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family**

 **Rating: Mild T**

 **Requested by: Sarnakh the Sunderer (and other reviewers who have asked for some Hiccup and Snotlout cousin-bonding).**

* * *

The boats docked on the shores. Over fifty of them moored in Berk's docks, even more villagers standing and cheering on the shores of the great ships.

The Meathead Tribe was coming to visit, although Hiccup would never truly understand _why_. The Meatheads had never been exactly...err…"compatible", especially the Chief's son, Carr. Carr didn't like Hiccup especially, although that was something else Hiccup would never understand the reason _why_.

Honestly, he never did anything to make Carr hate him so. It was not his fault Carr hated him.

Stoick stepped forward as the Chief of the Meatheads stepped off the boat. While Hiccup stood behind Stoick, Carr stood behind his father, his arms crossed, his face carrying that same, boastful, murderous snarl it always had.

"Pleasure to see you again, Murderous," Stoick greeted, clasping the visiting Chief's hand in both his own and giving it a firm shake. "You and your tribe are always welcome here on Berk."

Murderous, the Chief of the Meatheads, smiled. "And it's good to be welcomed to Berk, Stoick," he said. "You remember my son, Carr."

Carr stepped forward and nodded.

Stoick nodded back. "Yes, I remember," he said. "Come. Let's give you the grand tour. A lot has changed since you last came here."

And that was really how Hiccup's bad day started.

They were walking through the plaza, when they passed Snotlout, who was standing beside Hookfang, trying (and failing) to calm Hookfang down. Carr gasped at the sight of Snotlout and Hookfang.

"Look at that!" he said proudly. "Monstrous Nightmare! The most poisonous dragons, ever!"

Honestly, it was a no-brainer that Carr was wrong. "Actually, Carr," Hiccup said matter-of-factly, "Monstrous Nightmares aren't poisonous. They have a lot of firepower, but no venom as far as we know."

Carr glared at him, and Hiccup pretended he didn't notice. Snotlout and Hookfang eventually tagged along, following Stoick, Murderous, Carr, and his cousin as they continued through Berk.

They passed Meatlug and Fishlegs, who were smelling flowers. Carr pointed in their direction. "Look at the size of that Nadder!" Carr exclaimed.

"Actually," Hiccup said, "that isn't a Nadder. It's a Gronckle."

While Hiccup tried to ignore Carr's second murderous glare, Carr's father laughed. "You'll have to excuse my son," Murderous said. "We don't see a lot of dragons."

Snotlout laughed. "Just another thing that makes us Berkians better than you Meatheads." Carr glared, and Murderous simply chuckled. Snotlout shrugged, and Hiccup tried to pretend he was invisible.

The worst of it all came later, after many of Carr's failed attempts at guessing which dragon was what and what each dragon could do. He mistook a Terrible Terror for a Zippleback (in his defense, though, there were two Terrors standing side by side, and it caused the illusion that they were one dragon with two heads and two tails), and for the longest time, he didn't know what kind of dragon Stormfly was.

Although Hiccup would never say it out loud, in his opinion, Carr was an idiot.

But of course, Hiccup would never say that out loud, so his opinion really didn't matter.

Hiccup didn't fail to see Carr's murderous glare after Carr thought Gronckles were the ones that shot spines instead of Nadders, although he tried to ignore it as he had done all day. Hiccup looked at Snotlout. If Snotlout sensed Hiccup's discomfort, he didn't appear to. He was too busy bragging about how "amazing" Hookfang was to Carr, and Carr was too busy being mad at Hiccup to care.

Stoick ruffled Hiccup's hair, and Murderous laughed.

"Ah, your son's quite the smart one, is he, Stoick?" he said. "Knows a lot about dragons, by the looks of it. Maybe he can teach you a little more about them, Carr." He put his arm around Carr's shoulders and nodded encouragingly.

Carr crossed his arms angrily. "Yeah, great," he grumbled.

"In fact," Murderous said, "why don't you two go on and work with a few dragons while Stoick and I finish catching up."

"WHAT!?" Hiccup and Carr shouted in unison. Snotlout cackled.

"Go on!" Murderous said. "We'll meet up with you later on, during the treaty signing this evening."

That was _really_ how Hiccup's bad day started. He didn't argue with his father, and Carr didn't argue, either, and the duo headed into Raven Point.

Snotlout watched them curiously. Although Hiccup hadn't seemed to notice, Snotlout _had_ noticed the dirty, evil glances Carr was throwing at him, and Snotlout didn't feel well about it. So, silently, and telling Hookfang to stay put (which the dragon had absolutely no problem doing), Snotlout followed his cousin and Carr into the forest.

He followed them for a while without them knowing. Hiccup didn't say anything, and neither did Carr. They continued walking, deeper into Raven Point. Deeper and deeper until Snotlout wondered if he had worried for nothing.

But then, all at once, Carr stopped. Snotlout jumped behind a tree and peaked out from the side, keeping himself hidden yet still able to see Carr and his cousin.

And to his shock and surprise, Carr punched Hiccup right in the stomach. Hiccup gulped and doubled over, his arms wrapped around his abdomen, his teeth clenched, clearly trying to hold back any cries.

Obviously, this had happened before between Carr and Hiccup, the punching and all.

But how had Snotlout not seen it before?

For a while, Snotlout was too shocked to say anything. He gasped, and then shut his mouth for fear of Carr or Hiccup hearing him and recognizing his presence. He wasn't so sure what to do…

Carr kicked Hiccup immediately after punching him, and Hiccup stumbled, lost his balance, and hit the ground.

"Think you're pretty smart, don't you!?" Carr snapped. He delivered another kick, and Hiccup bit back another cry. Snotlout wanted to interfere. He wanted to, but he didn't know if Hiccup would appreciate him interceding. Hiccup didn't like to be treated as though he were weak. He didn't like to be pitied fussed over, and he didn't like it when someone else fought his battles for him.

That, and Snotlout was pretty much in shock of what he was watching. Growing up, he and the twins used to gang up on Hiccup and beat him up every now and then, but…

Snotlout looked at Carr's insane, furious, angry yet sickly, cruelly satisfied face as he punched Hiccup again in the ribs and Hiccup choked back another scream of pain.

Had Snotlout really looked like that way back when, when he used to beat Hiccup for the fun of it? Snotlout hadn't actually thought about it before...but now...now…

"I bet you think it was cute, huh?" Carr continued angrily. "Getting smart like that, trying to impress my father and embarrass me!?"

Hiccup shook his head, although he didn't open his mouth. Snotlout wanted to interfere. Snotlout really, really, really, really wanted to, but he didn't know what Hiccup would think of him if he did. Did Hiccup want to be pitied, or did he-

Carr kicked Hiccup again, but it was harder than all previous kicks combined, and this time, Hiccup screamed.

It was then that Snotlout found himself running. He didn't remember springing from his hiding spot and rushing forwards, towards his cousin and Carr. He didn't remember shouting, "HEY! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" He didn't remember Carr trying to run away.

In fact, the only thing Snotlout truly felt was when he raised his fist, and slammed it right across Carr's face. Carr's head jerked, and the boy stumbled backwards, cradling his cheek in his hand.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM!" Snotlout shouted, standing between where Carr was still stumbling about and where Hiccup was lying, still panting and gasping for breath.

Carr lifted his head again and spat. "Why are you defending him, Snotface?" he asked. "I thought you were on my side. He was trying to be smart, trying to embarrass me in front of my father, trying to-"

Snotlout cut him off by another harsh slap and kick. Carr was shoved against the ground on his side with a cry of indignance - or maybe it was pain.

"That's my cousin you're talking about!" Snotlout hissed. "I've never been on your side, Carr, and I never will be on your side! Mark my words…" He took a step forward and jabbed his finger in Carr's face threateningly. "If you so much as _touch_ Hiccup again," Snotlout said, "you won't get off as easy."

Carr's glare hardened, and he stood up. "I'm going to go tell my father," he growled, and then, he took off running, stumbling only slightly due to the bruises Snotlout had inflicted on him.

"YEAH!?" Snotlout called back at him, cupping one hand around his mouth. "Go on and do that, Carr! Go run crying to your Daddy! Tattletale on me, whatever! See if I care!" Snotlout knew that Carr would probably make up a lie, probably say that Hiccup started it and that Carr was only trying to defend himself.

But Snotlout wasn't afraid of that.

He'd witnessed the entire thing and could stand on Hiccup's side of the argument-

Snotlout froze.

Hiccup.

He spun around to face his cousin. Hiccup was still trying (and failing) to get up, clutching at his ribs and hissing through his teeth whenever he so much as moved. Snotlout ran to him and gripped Hiccup's forearm tightly.

"Come on, cuz," Snotlout said. He helped Hiccup to his feet (well, one foot and prosthetic) with a grunt and pulled Hiccup's arm around his neck. "Let's get you back to the village."

He started walking, practically dragging Hiccup along the entire way. To his surprise, Hiccup didn't actually protest. Snotlout decided that he'd done the right thing in standing up to Carr.

"You...you didn't have to do that, Snotlout," Hiccup said, just before they stepped foot into the village. "You-"

"Oh, what?" Snotlout said. He pulled Hiccup's arm back around his neck when the boy started slipping from his grasp. "Leave you to fend for yourself? Yeah, 'cause that was going _real_ well...Thor, Hiccup, do you _ever eat?"_ He always knew his cousin was light, and an even lighter eater, but for sixteen, this was just ridiculous. Snotlout was pretty sure that if he wanted to, he could _carry_ Hiccup without any problem at all.

And that wasn't because he was strong, either.

Hiccup laughed hoarsely. "That's a stupid question."

Snotlout sighed. His stupid cousin, always trying to put on a brave face, even if his face was quite literally covered in bruises. Actually, by the looks of it, Hiccup would have a really bad black eye by morning…

"Thanks...anyways," Hiccup said. "For that."

"You bet," said Snotlout. "What else is family for?"


	27. Always Be Here

**Title: Always Be Here**

 **Summary: When Hiccup was little, he was terrified of losing his father to dragons. Never once in his lifetime did he dream he actually would.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Stoick**

 **Genre: Angst/Family**

 **Rating: K**

* * *

Six-year-old Hiccup sat up in his room, on his bed, looking out the window at the night sky. All was peaceful, and all was beautiful, which was good, because Hiccup didn't like it when the dragons raided. The dragons were cool, in his opinion, but scary beyond measure. He hoped they didn't attack; they always attacked at night, when no one was looking, when no one could prepare for them-

And there they were. It always started with one screech, be the screech of a Deadly Nadder or of a Monstrous Nightmare, whichever dragon was leading the raid that night. Hiccup stood instantly and raced towards his window to look outside. Maybe it was only a few dragons attacking, maybe one or two, maybe it wasn't going to be a big deal-

Nevermind.

An entire swarm of dragons were circling over Berk like vultures over a dead thing, screeching and roaring and torching whatever houses they could. Hiccup turned when the door to his room opened; his father raced in, caught sight of Hiccup, and sighed in relief.

"There you are," he said. "Stay here, Hiccup."

Hiccup raced forward before his dad could close the door again. "Wait, Dad, I want to help!" Hiccup shouted desperately, trying to pull the door further open. "I can help!"

"No, you can't," said Stoick. "Not yet. Stay here until the raid ends, and don't come outside no matter what."

"No, Dad!" Hiccup shouted. "Please! I want to help!"

"No, Hiccup!" Stoick finally snapped. "Stay inside!" And he shut the door and locked it from the outside.

"NO!" Hiccup screamed, and he raced forward, trying to open the door, but with no luck. "DADDY!" He pulled harder; he grabbed the stool from the corner of the room and ran, as if he could bash down the door. What if his father got taken by the dragons, like his mother had? What if Hiccup couldn't stop it? What if he had to live on without his dad, without family other than Snotlout?

When Hiccup couldn't open the door no matter how hard he tried, he leapt on his bed and buried himself beneath his blankets, sobbing ardently. He could hear the roars of the dragons and the shouts of fellow Vikings from outside, and he was powerless. He couldn't do anything.

He cried and cried and cried. He didn't know what else to do. He was so scared he would never see his father again. He was so scared the dragons would carry his daddy off forever, and he would never see him again.

But then, after an hour of crying himself into exhaustion, the screeches of dragons and shouts from Vikings came to an end. Hiccup still didn't stop crying. How could he? He was scared. He was locked in his room, away from his father, terrified, horrified…

But then, the locks on his door began to click, and Hiccup sat up, hardly daring himself to hope.

Could it be…?

The door swung open, and Stoick was there, looking tired and terribly guilty. But Hiccup couldn't think about this; all he could think was-

"DADDY!"

-and how quickly he could get to his father without hurting himself. He hurled out of bed and launched himself into his father's arms; Stoick dropped his axe and held Hiccup tightly, and Hiccup felt safe, secure, loved…

"I'm sorry," said Stoick, embracing Hiccup tighter. "I'm sorry, Hiccup...but I can't let anything happen to you...if something happened to you, I'd never…"

"I d-didn't want something to happen to y-you," Hiccup sobbed. "Like...like mom…"

"You don't need to worry about that, Hiccup," Stoick whispered. "I promise, I'll always be here for you. I'll always be here…"

Hiccup didn't actually hear the rest of what his father said, for he had shut his eyes and fallen asleep, safe and secure in his father's arms.

…

Twenty-year-old Hiccup stepped into the silence of his house, the black charcoal Mark of the Chief still drawn on his forehead. He took in a deep breath through his nose and let it out slowly.

He swallowed.

He shut the door behind him and stepped across the room. The fire pit was ablaze, tiny embers fluttering from it and up to the rafters above. Hiccup watched them, silent.

He wished he could escape as easily as they could. He wished he could flutter and disappear, without thought, without conscience, without worry…

Without _pain_.

Without _heartbreak_.

Without feeling like someone had stabbed him in the gut.

Without his throat tightened as though a snake were coiled around it.

Without a heavy weight on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Making it hard to grasp reality.

Because reality _was_ pain.

Reality _was_ heartbreak.

Reality _was_ a stab in the cut, a snake around his neck choking him, and the inability to breathe, to comprehend.

And finally, realization, comprehension, and most importantly, _pain_ , rammed into him full-force like a charging dragon.

And he fell to his knees, face buried in his hands. Hot, salty tears ran down his cheeks, and a choked, dry sob forced its way out of his throat.

He was lost.

He didn't know what to do.

The resounding blast that killed his father still echoed in his ears, sick mockery of the absolute worst moment of his life.

Finally, he lifted his head, but he didn't open his eyes. They were still shut, and his tears still fell.

" _YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD ALWAYS BE THERE FOR ME!"_ Hiccup screamed desperately, though he wasn't exactly sure who he expected would hear him. _"YOU PROMISED!"_

And he broke down sobbing again.

This time, there was no father to come running through the door to tell him everything was okay. There was no reassurance. There was no knowing that in the end, everything would be okay.

Hiccup would go on to become the greatest Chief Berk had ever known. His people would adore him, he would eventually marry Astrid Hofferson, and guard over Berk like his father had before him.

But present Hiccup, living in the now, did not know this. He did not know what the future had in store for him.

For Hiccup right now, everything was hopeless. Everything was blurry, fuzzy, and he hoped it was a dream.

But he knew he would go on. A small tug in the back of his mind told him that he would survive. He would thrive. He would move on.

He would make his father proud.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **PAAAAIIN.**

 **SUUUFFEERRIINNNGG.**

 **IT BURRRRNS, PRECIOUS, IT BURNS! HELP ME GUYS. WHY DID I WRITE THIS. I DON'T KNOW WHY I WROTE THIS. WHY. AS IF THE SECOND HTTYD FILM ALREADY DIDN'T HURT ENOUGH, I HAD TO MAKE IT WORSE.**

 **Well anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this, even if it did stab you in the feels.**

 **Cheers! *sobs***

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	28. Wedding Day

**Title: Wedding Day**

 **Summary: Hiccup and Astrid's wedding day has come. Unfortunately, it might be postponed when Hiccup comes down sick.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family**

 **Rating: K**

 **NOTE: I used the "family" genre for this story, because it was either that, or romance, and Astrid is more of family to Hiccup at this point, and the story wasn't really "romance". :)**

* * *

Astrid was ecstatic, and that was the underestimate of the year. Her heart was fluttering as though it had spread wings, and there were dozens of butterflies in her stomach. She skipped through the plaza, which she wouldn't have done any other day, because she was excited. She was beyond excited. She was thrilled. She couldn't actually believe this day had finally come.

Her wedding day.

Hers and Hiccup's wedding day.

The wedding itself would take place that evening, as soon as the sun set, and midday was when Astrid and Hiccup would start getting ready. But before that, Astrid wanted to see Hiccup.

Which was why, early morning, she was skipping towards his house, ecstatic, because she was excited. She wondered if he felt the same way, hardly able to contain himself. She was surprised he wasn't already out and about the village like she was. She had had a hard enough time falling asleep the previous night, too excited about today.

She was a little nervous, of course, but that was always overwhelmed by happiness.

She knocked a little rhythm on the door and waited. When no one answered, she knocked again. "Hiccup, it's me!" she called. "You up?"

No answer. She shrugged and pushed the door open. Maybe he had overslept. It wouldn't have surprised Astrid, honestly. If she hadn't been so excited, she would have overslept, too.

The house was quiet; Valka must have been out with the dragons, like she did every early morning from dawn until the rest of the village woke. Toothless was, more than likely, with her, as the Alpha dragon.

Which meant that Hiccup had either gone with them, or he was still sleeping.

"Hiccup!" she called into the empty house, and when she still got no response, she turned and started up the stairs. "Hiccup! I was coming to-"

She stopped when she reached the top of the stairs.

"Hiccup?"

Her mood shifted instantly, and she raced over to the bed in worried leaps. Hiccup was sleeping, but not soundly. He was horribly pale, and his cheeks were flushed. Astrid smoothed back his sweaty hair and pressed her hand against his head.

He was burning up.

"Oh, Hiccup…" she whispered, shaking her head sadly, and after another moment, she withdrew her hand and hastened downstairs. She filled a bucket with water from a barrel and found a clean rag. She took both upstairs, letting the cloth soak in the cold water.

When she made it back upstairs, she set the bucket on the floor, sat on the edge of the bed beside Hiccup, and wrang out the cloth, squeezing out all excess water. She pressed it against his forehead in an attempt to get his fever down.

Hiccup swallowed and opened his eyes slowly, blinking up at her in confusion. "Astrid…?" he whispered, voice barely audible. Astrid nodded and smiled softly. "What...what're you doing here…?"

"I came to say good morning," said Astrid, re-soaking the rag in the water and returning it to Hiccup's forehead. "You have a fever."

Hiccup swallowed again. "Yeah…" he murmured. "S'pose I do…"

"When did it set in?" Astrid asked, taking his cold hand in her own.

"I dunno…" Hiccup said, shutting his eyes. "I was okay yesterday, but now…"

"It just came in all of a sudden, didn't it?" said Astrid.

"Yeah…" Hiccup said. "It did…"

Astrid refreshed the rag again and kissed his hand. "Do you want me to go get Gothi?" she said. "She could bring something by for your fever-"

"No," said Hiccup quietly. "You don't have to. I'm alright."

"Okay," said Astrid, and that was the end of that. She made a mental note to go see Gothi anyways as soon as she could; she didn't know what was ailing Hiccup, but she didn't want it to go on for any longer than it had to.

"I'm sorry," Hiccup whispered, and Astrid looked back towards him.

"What do you have to be sorry for, Hiccup?" she asked him, slightly confused. She couldn't think of anything off the top of her head-

"Our wedding day," he said, and Astrid suddenly remembered. She had completely forgotten about their wedding in her concern for Hiccup, and now, she remembered.

"I ruined it," Hiccup whispered, shutting his eyes. A tear rolled down his cheek. "I'm so sorry, Astrid…"

"No, Hiccup," Astrid said, shaking her head, and when Hiccup denied it, she pulled him into her arms and rested her back against the headboard of the bed. "It's not your fault. You didn't do anything."

"I'm s-sorry-"

"Hush. You don't have anything to be sorry for." She held him tighter when she felt his tears hit her neck, and this time, he embraced her back equally tight. After a while, Hiccup's breathing evened out, and Astrid was sure he was asleep for a moment, but then, his thick, soft voice met her ears.

"I'm sorry…"

"Hiccup, I told you, you don't have to be sorry."

"But you were looking forward to it...and I was too…"

"Yeah, I was," said Astrid, "and I still am. We're not _cancelling_ , Hiccup. It just means we'll have to reschedule for when you're feeling a little better, alright?"

"Alright…"

"That's right," said Astrid, kissing his forehead. "And you know, I'll always love you, in sickness and in health."

Hiccup smiled tiredly. "Till death do we part…"

"You got it," said Astrid.

"Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me." Astrid paused for another moment, absentmindedly twisting bits of Hiccup's hair into another braid. "Want me to get some soup for you?"

Hiccup frowned. "As long as you don't make it," he said.

"I'll get it from the Great Hall," said Astrid, "don't worry. But you know, you might have to get used to my cooking pretty soon…"

"Ohhh no I won't. When we're married, _I_ will do the cooking, milady. For the good of us both."

Astrid laughed softly. "Sounds good," she said.

"And I'll always love you no matter how bad your cooking is."

"Thanks, Hiccup."

"In food poisoning and in health-"

" _Hiccup!"_

"Seriously though, Astrid...I love you."

"And I love you too."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **So that's all. I just got this little idea and wanted to write it down before the plot bunny scampered away. :) I hope you guys liked this little one-shot! :D**

 **Oh, and stick around, too! :D I got some requests for writing "Race to the Edge" one-shots, when Hiccup nearly got hurt but didn't. So, that should be up reasonably soon, though I'm not sure exactly when. I'm trying to finish up my other 13 episode fanfiction series before season 3 of RttE comes out. :)**

 **So that's what's happening! :D Let me know what you think, and I'll see you all later! :D**

 **Cheers! :D**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	29. Wish You Were Here

**Title: Wish You Were Here**

 **Summary: It seems Hiccup will always be of a one-parent household, and his mother and father will always regret the days the other wasn't there.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Stoick, Valka**

 **Genre: Family/Hurt/Comfort**

 **Rating: K**

 **NOTE: Hey guys! This is a shorter one-shot than you guys are used to, probably, but I had the idea and I couldn't get it out of my head. ;) So, some of you were wondering about "RttE" what-ifs to go along in this one-shot series, and I AM WORKING ON THEM! XD I've got a lot of ideas running through my brain right now and the train of thought ain't stopping at all stations, so it might take me a little while, but I AM WORKING ON THEM, DON'T WORRY. READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER, PLEASE? :D Enjoy! :D**

* * *

Hiccup was sick.

Ever since Hiccup was younger, sickness had been a bit of an empty threat. Even when there was an outbreak of Eel Pox, Hiccup was either the last one to get it, or he didn't get it at all. He seemed immune to most viruses Berk dealt with, and was able to help those who were sick during an outbreak.

But unfortunately, he was also the kind of person who, when they _did_ go down, he went down _hard_.

At the time, he was down hard, sleeping unsoundly with a high fever that had been burning relentlessly for three days straight. Toothless laid on the floor, head resting on the side of the bed, Hiccup's arm draped limply over the dragon's neck. The dragon had stuck at the boy's side like a feather on honey.

As had Stoick, who presently sat on the edge of the bed opposite of Toothless, pressing a wet rag against Hiccup's burning forehead. Stoick glanced at the Night Fury; even though months had passed since peace between the dragons was established, he still couldn't get over the fact it had actually _happened_. He never once thought peace was possible, and yet, proof that he was wrong was right in front of him, watching over his son like a hawk.

Toothless shut his eyes briefly, and then jolted himself awake again with a start, staring at Hiccup. Stoick sighed. After three days without sleeping, it was no wonder Toothless was nodding off.

"You can rest, Toothless," Stoick said. "I've got him."

Toothless fixed Stoick with a stern, warning look - it was incredible how the Night Fury could say a thousand things without actually saying anything at all. Then, reluctantly, Toothless stepped back, laid on his stone slab, and shut his eyes, tail curling around his body like a gigantic cat.

Stoick sighed heavily, refreshed the rag, and pressed it again against Hiccup's head. This time, Hiccup stirred and opened his eyes blearily; deep, emerald green, just like his mother's.

"Dad…" Hiccup whispered.

"Rest, Hiccup," said Stoick gently. "Just rest."

Hiccup nodded weakly and shut his eyes again, cheeks flushed red with fever, sweat beading his brow. Stoick sighed again, running a hand over his face. He wasn't good at this; he was never a natural at the whole "father" business, especially when Hiccup was sick. Stoick rested a hand over Hiccup's forehead and shut his eyes tightly.

"Oh, Val…" he whispered. "I wish _you_ were here…"

…

Hiccup was sick.

Valka hadn't known Hiccup for very long, but she'd known him long enough to learn how he functioned. He worked himself to the brink without any care for his personal health when someone else's health was in question. For someone so smart as Hiccup, sometimes he could be extremely stupid.

"You should have told me you were unwell, Hiccup," she chastised softly for the third time that past hour, wiping sweat from Hiccup's forehead with a cold wet rag, sitting beside him on the edge of his bed. Hiccup shrugged weakly, scratching Toothless, who was sitting on the floor with his head over Hiccup's chest, behind the ears.

"I know…" Hiccup said. "I should've...but I just thought it was airsickness, or whatever…"

"It didn't come on all of a sudden, Hiccup, I know it didn't," said Valka, shaking her head. "You've been sick for at least two days and didn't tell anyone about it. You've let yourself get worse."

She refreshed the rag in a basin of water, and Hiccup shut his eyes.

"Sorry, Mom…"

Valka sighed. She could scold Hiccup all she wanted, but she could never really be truly _angry_ with him. "I know," she said, "I know...it just means you'll have to take it easy for a few days, alright?"

"Alright," Hiccup finally conceded, and he shut his eyes, falling into light slumber a moment later. Toothless licked his rider's flushed cheek, and Valka sighed heavily, resting her hand over Hiccup's.

She didn't know Hiccup at all. Not really. She knew him when he was a baby, before she was taken by dragons, but now, he was twenty years old and the Chief of their village, and she didn't know him at all. She hadn't watched him grow up, hadn't been there for his birthdays, his good days, his bad days, when he lost his leg, when he got used to having a prosthetic…

But Stoick had been.

And now, Stoick was gone.

"Oh Stoick…" she whispered, bringing a hand to her face and brushing away an errant tear. "If only you were here…"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **FEELSIES. REALSIES. FEELSIES. GOSH FEELSIES.**

 **Anyways, I don't have a whole lot to say about this story,** **BUT I HAVE AN IMPORTANT QUESTION TO ASK YOU GUYS REGARDING THE NEXT ONE!**

 **Okay! So right now, you have two options, and the number of votes for each option will determine the next posted story on Ouch!**

 **Here's the question: WHICH WOULD YOU RATHER SEE FIRST: A "GONE GUSTAV GONE" WHAT-IF, OR A "BIG MAN ON BERK" WHAT-IF?**

 **LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS, AND I'LL SEE YOU ALL NEXT CHAPTER! :D**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	30. Gone Gustav Gone Part 1

**Title: Gone Gustav Gone Part 1**

 **Summary: "The kid made me promise to let you go, unharmed." Then, disturbingly enough, Dagur grinned, and Hiccup's heart skipped a beat. "Ha," Dagur laughed, and then, he growled. "Too bad I never keep my promises."**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid, Gustav, Snotlout**

 **Rating: T (for blood, sorry guys)**

 **NOTES: YOU GUYS WANTED RACE TO THE EDGE WHAT-IFS, AND HERE ARE SOME RACE TO THE EDGE WHAT-IFS! :D I assume this one will be at least three parts long...so yeah. That's something you guys can look forward to. :) Enjoy! :D**

* * *

"You have no choice!" Dagur shouted. "One wrong move, and my men will take out you, the Night Fury, _and_ the kid! So roll it over, and I'll let him go!"

Hiccup stood across from Gustav and his arch rival. He didn't want to give the Dragon Eye to Dagur as much as anyone did, but he knew that he had to save Gustav and get him somewhere safe before Dagur hurt him.

So, as reluctant as he was, he bent down, and rolled the Dragon Eye towards Dagur. Dagur caught it and lifted it, holding it up to his face and examining it as if it were the most priceless thing he had ever seen.

"Oh!" Dagur said breathlessly. "It really is one...one _beautiful_ artifact! And-And I hear it can be very useful to those who possess it, hmm? Is that true?"

"Gustav," Hiccup said, almost stomping right over Dagur's words. "Let's go. It's okay." Behind him, Toothless roared, and at what exactly, Hiccup didn't know, but he really didn't care. He had to get Gustav to safety first.

Gustav looked uncertain. "Yeeeeaaah, about that, Hiccup..." he said slowly. "I've been treated much better by these guys than I ever was treated by you and the dragon riders." He crossed his arms defiantly.

"Ohhh ho ho!" Dagur grinned. "And the plot thickens!"

Hiccup had had just about enough of Gustav, but now, he was really doing it. Hiccup wanted to march over there, grab Gustav by the arm, and force him to get back to Dragon's Edge, and when they got there, Hiccup wanted to tie Gustav to a chair and leave him there until they could get him back to Berk.

But he couldn't do that right now. Right now, it looked like Gustav was actually leaning towards Dagur's side…

"Gustav," Hiccup warned.

"You could have given me a chance, you know," Gustav cut him off. "All you guys ever did was tell me I wasn't good enough; tell me I didn't belong. Well, I belong here."

"Gustav, you have _no idea,_ what you're getting into!" Hiccup said, taking another step forward. Seriously, Hiccup was on his last nerve with this kid, but he never actually hated Gustav. He thought of Gustav as his friend.

But if Gustav was serious about joining Dagur and the Berserkers...than Hiccup was going to have to think of Gustav as his enemy, and he didn't want that. He also didn't know what Dagur was actually planning on doing to Gustav. There was no way to know with Dagur.

"Yes, I do, Hiccup," Gustav shot back. "I know _exactly_ what I'm doing."

Hiccup's glare hardened.

"Awkward!" Dagur said in a sing-song tone of voice as he smiled, almost fiendishly. "Well, I'd say your work is finished here, brother," Dagur began casually, turning his back and walking in the opposite direction. "Ordinarily this is where I would double-cross you, and fill you full of arrows, but the kid is squeamish. He made me promise to let you go, and in return, he's going to take me to a treasure."

That was when Hiccup stopped. Wait a minute...a treasure? Did this mean-?

"That's right, Hiccup!" Gustav called, and Hiccup could see the message in the boy's eyes. "We have the Dragon Eye, and Fanghook's fire! And you know what that means!"

Hiccup _did_ know what it meant. He knew what Gustav was hinting.

"Untold treasure awaits!" Gustav finished, looking at Hiccup knowingly.

Hiccup knew Gustav wasn't serious about joining Dagur; he could see it written clearly across the boy's face. He knew that Gustav was hinting that he would lead Dagur to the earthquake-crazy, unstable island, and Hiccup would follow behind him and come in for the strike when Dagur was least expecting it. They would get the Dragon Eye back from the maniac, and then, they would also get Gustav back at the same time.

It was a fool-proof plan.

Or so Hiccup thought.

Dagur stepped forward, the Dragon Eye in hand. He gestured to the soldiers standing around him, and then looked back at Hiccup. Hiccup forced himself to remain angry; or, at least, _look_ angry. He would look angry until he was able to leave, and then, he would double back around and follow Dagur and quietly as possible.

Hiccup turned and headed back towards Toothless. Then, he turned, glaring hard back at Gustav. "You are going to _regret this_ ," Hiccup growled, hoping he didn't come out sounding too menacing although he failed miserably.

Gustav crossed his arms and smirked. "I don't think so," the boy said smugly.

Hiccup was about to mount Toothless and take to the sky again, but then, he heard Dagur begin speaking once again, and he turned back towards him.

"Well, it's like I said," Dagur said. "The kid made me promise to let you go, unharmed." Then, disturbingly enough, Dagur grinned, and Hiccup's heart skipped a beat. "Ha," Dagur laughed, and then, he growled. "Too bad I never keep my promises."

What!?

"WHAT!?" Gustav shouted, jumping in front of Dagur, waving his hands furiously back and forth in front of his face. "Hey! You promised!"

"I decided I didn't like that promise very much!" Dagur grabbed Gustav's shoulder and shoved him out of the way. Two Berserkers grabbed Gustav's forearms, holding him back while Gustav continued thrashing and screaming, demanding to be let go. More Berserkers held Fanghook back.

Luckily, Gustav's fit, and the Monstrous Nightmare's outburst, gave Hiccup enough time to jump on Toothless' back and launch into the sky. Hiccup didn't look back. He knew Dagur wouldn't hurt Gustav; not until the boy showed him the treasure, at least. Gustav was safe.

Hiccup and Toothless were not.

"Come on, Toothless!" Hiccup shouted. The arrows were flying up at them now. Dagur's voice pierced the air: "SHOOT THEM DOWN!", and the arrows continued, faster and faster and faster each time, more of them flying up every second. They had to get out of there; they had to.

All Hiccup had to do was make it far enough to get out of sight, and then, once Dagur stopped firing at him, he would double back around and keep following them.

Unfortunately, it didn't really work as well as he would have hoped. He felt pain burst through his stomach from behind, and his back and abdomen were suddenly exploding in pain. He opened his mouth to scream, and then he realized he couldn't speak at all.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he looked down.

The head of an arrow was sticking straight out of his stomach. He knew what it meant; it meant the arrow had shot him through the back, and went straight through him. Worse than that, it was still _lodged_ in him.

It made him want to throw up, and for a moment, he thought he just might, but he knew he had to get back to Dragon's Edge. He needed help. He needed to get help for himself, and he needed to get help from Gustav. He didn't know what Dagur was capable of, of course.

He held on tight to Toothless' saddlehorn; he heard the dragon roar, but it was faint. He could hardly hear anything at all anymore. His vision was fading, as was his hearing. He couldn't think. He couldn't hear. He couldn't see-

His prosthetic was slipping from the pedal, and he forced himself to keep his chin up and his eyes open wide. He slammed his leg back into the pedal and tried to hold himself together; tried to ignore the pain of the arrow; tried to ignore the blood-

Oh, gods, the _blood_ …

This time he did throw up, leaning over Toothless' side, dry heaves tearing his throat. Toothless growled at him worriedly, but Hiccup couldn't even bring himself to care. He knew he needed help, and he knew he needed it soon.

"C...come on, Toothless," Hiccup whispered. "Come on…"

…

Astrid paced back and forth in front of the other four dragon riders and their dragons. Stormfly stood off to the side, watching her rider in confusion.

"I don't like it," Astrid said. "Hiccup should be back with Gustav by now." Although Hiccup promised he would be careful, she still couldn't help but worry about him. Who knew what Dagur was capable of doing, and moreover, what would he do if he somehow got his hands on Hiccup?

What would Dagur do when he got the Dragon Eye? Astrid didn't want to think about it, really. Would he really let Hiccup and Gustav go once he got it, or would he do something else to them?

"Ah, he probably got held up!" Snotlout said offhandedly, and almost angrily. He leaned against Hookfang's side, crossing his arms over his chest. "Hiccup's _always_ getting held up one way or another!"

That didn't seem right, though. "It's not like Hiccup to stall like this if someone else is in danger," Astrid said. "Hiccup's top priority is always making sure everyone else is safe. He should be-"

"There he is!" Fishlegs suddenly shouted, pointing wildly up at the sky. Astrid spun around and lifted her head; sure enough, she saw a black speck of Night Fury flying straight towards them, growing in size as they neared.

Astrid looked back again, expecting to see Gustav and Fanghook fly in behind Hiccup and Toothless, but she didn't see anything. That's when she froze and looked closer; Toothless was staggering in the sky, almost as if he couldn't keep himself aloft.

When the dragon landed, Astrid saw why.

"Hiccup!" she shouted, racing forward as fast as was humanly possible. He didn't look good; not good at all. His face was pale, his eyes drooping, his eyes a dull shade of their usual green. She was about to reach out to him, to grab him and steady him as he swayed, but then, she saw something that made her heart stop.

An arrow, soaked in blood, the head of the arrow produced from Hiccup's stomach while the rest of the arrow stuck out of his back.

Straight through him. The arrow ran straight through him.

"Oh Thor," she gasped. This time, when Hiccup swayed, he fell off Toothless' side, and Astrid had to spring forward to catch him before he hit the ground. His head fell against her shoulder limply as if he didn't even have the strength left in him to hold it up on his own.

She looked over at the others, who were already racing over. "Get over here!" Astrid shouted, although she really didn't even need to. They were already running as fast as possible, their eyes widened in shock.

"What the Thor happened to him!?" Snotlout shouted.

He was ignored, because no one knew what happened to Hiccup, and Hiccup was too out of it to say anything.

Fishlegs was the first to speak after Snotlout. "Guys, go get some water, and get it back to my hut, HURRY!" he demanded.

The others didn't have to be told twice. While Snotlout and the twins raced away in the opposite direction, Fishlegs knelt in front of Hiccup and examined the arrow wound.

"If I can break the shaft, I should be able to pull it right out," Fishlegs said to Astrid. "Can you hold him?"

Astrid wasn't sure if she was really the right person for the job, but who else would do it if not her? She nodded, wrapping her arm around Hiccup's shoulder and holding him tightly. She didn't know if he would thrash or not.

"Nngh...Astrid…" Hiccup murmured. He tried shoving away from her, but she only held tighter in response. She expected him to protest, and was surprised when he shut his eyes and dropped his head against her shoulder once again.

He didn't say anything else.

Astrid looked back at Fishlegs; the boy gripped the shaft of the arrow from Hiccup's back and broke it right in two. Hiccup didn't even jerk or yelp. When Fishlegs pulled the arrow free, Hiccup squirmed, but that was about all he did.

Fishlegs examined the arrow's head. "No poison," he said after a moment, and Astrid sighed in relief. "But it's a Berserker arrow, which means-"

"One of Dagur's men did this to him," Astrid finished. She wanted to go out and kill Dagur's men herself, but she knew she couldn't do that at the moment. "Come on," she said. "Let's get Hiccup back to your place."

Getting Hiccup to Fishlegs' hut was easier than they had expected; the hardest part was getting Hiccup onto Stormfly's back without hurting him further, and then once they arrived at their destination, getting Hiccup off Astrid's dragon's back. Toothless followed them the entire way from the ground, keeping a close eye on his rider whenever possible.

When they arrived at Fishlegs' hut, Snotlout and the twins were already there. Snotlout helped Astrid get his cousin inside while Fishlegs ran to find gauze and salves. The twins set the bucket of water they had brought on the ground, and then, oddly enough, found a blanket and spread it across the floor.

It was makeshift, but it would work. Astrid and Snotlout practically dragged Hiccup over to the blanket spread out on the floor, and Astrid sank down beside Hiccup, keeping her arm around his shoulders. He looked like he was going to either fall backwards, double over, or simply pass out, and she didn't want him moving at all until his wound was cleaned and wrapped.

While Fishlegs took to cleansing Hiccup's injury to prevent infection, Astrid kept her eyes focused on Hiccup's face. His head was, once again, resting on her shoulder, and she made no comment, and neither did the other dragon riders.

She didn't know what had happened to Hiccup, or why Gustav wasn't with him, but what she _did_ know was that her friend was hurt, and she would fight a thousand Berserkers before she left Hiccup alone when he was in this state.

If the paleness of his face and hands were any indication, he'd lost a copious amount of blood. Astrid was surprised he'd held out for as long as he did, making it back to Dragon's Edge while controlling Toothless' prosthetic tailfin the whole way. Most people would have probably passed out in the middle of the journey.

But not Hiccup, and that made Astrid relieved. He was strong enough to survive the trip to Dragon's Edge. Surely, he had to be strong enough to pull through the rest of the healing process.

But...at the same time...that arrow went straight through his abdomen…

"I don't think the arrow hit any internal organs," Fishlegs said as he wrapped Hiccup's wound, almost as if he'd been reading Astrid's thoughts. "If he rests for a few weeks, he should be fine."

Astrid sighed in relief and leaned her cheek against the side of Hiccup's head. "Hear that?" she whispered, even though she was pretty sure Hiccup was unconscious now. "Fishlegs says you'll be fine."

He murmured incoherently.

"Someone should go back to Berk and get Gothi," Fishlegs said. "I'm not a healer. Hiccup needs help."

"We'll go!" The twins' hands shot into the air, and Astrid, Snotlout and Fishlegs looked in their directions instantly. "What?" they shrugged.

"Hey, we can do it!" Ruffnut insisted. "It shouldn't be too hard!"

Astrid didn't like the idea of them going, but really, they were the best for the job right now. Astrid wasn't about to leave Hiccup's side, and they needed Fishlegs in case Hiccup grew worse, and Astrid also needed Snotlout (try and deny it as she might) to go back after Gustav and find out what was going on.

So, in the end, she nodded. "Okay," she said. "Go."

They nodded, turned, bashed into each other, shook their heads to knock themselves out of their daze, and then raced out the door, running to mount their dragons.

The door shut behind them.

"I'll go...um...get more water," Snotlout offered awkwardly, and left promptly afterwards, slamming the door shut behind him.

Astrid looked back at Hiccup from where he was, resting, unconscious against her. "Should we move him back to his own hut?" she asked Fishlegs.

Fishlegs shook his head. "No, I don't think that's necessary," he said. "He looks perfectly fine right here. Let him rest for now, Astrid."

Astrid nodded. She supposed Hiccup was going to need all the rest he could get if he was going to have a smooth, fast recovery.


	31. Gone Gustav Gone Part 2

**Hey guys! Thanks for all your patience! This chapter took a bit of planning out, 'cause I wanted to think about what I wanted to do with this story, and I think I like the conclusion. :) I will post a "Big Man on Berk" what if after this one (because they had a great opportunity to do some Hiccup!whumping and didn't take it, which, obviously, made me a bit disappointed).**

 **IT IS NOTHING LIKE "SHY GIRL ON BERK" (another BMOB what if I did). SO YES. NO WORRIES. I AM NOT COPYING MYSELF HERE. XD**

 **Love you guys! Remember, you can make suggestions for stories, too. Not exactly "requests", per se, but _suggestions._ So let me know what you think about that, and I'll see you all on the next update! BYE! :D **

* * *

**Title: Gone Gustav Gone Part 2**

 **Summary: "The kid made me promise to let you go, unharmed." Then, disturbingly enough, Dagur grinned, and Hiccup's heart skipped a beat. "Ha," Dagur laughed, and then, he growled. "Too bad I never keep my promises."**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid, Gustav, Snotlout**

 **Rating: T (for blood, sorry guys)**

 **NOTES: YOU GUYS WANTED RACE TO THE EDGE WHAT-IFS, AND HERE ARE SOME RACE TO THE EDGE WHAT-IFS! :D I assume this one will be at least three parts long...so yeah. That's something you guys can look forward to. :) Enjoy! :D**

* * *

Hiccup laid on the blanket spread out on the floor while another blanket was over his body, a spare pillow cushioning his head. Astrid sat by his side, wondering if he was in any pain, lying on his back like that. She wondered if laying on his side would have been more comfortable, but she didn't want to move him for fear of waking him. He didn't appear to be in any pain at the moment, after all. If he showed signs of pain when he woke up, _then_ she could move him, but not right now.

Right now, he was resting peacefully, and he needed all the rest he could possibly get. The amount of blood he'd lost wasn't a small one, and it didn't take a genius for her to learn that. He was so pale…

He shifted, if slightly, and then, his eyes opened. His emerald eyes were dazed and unfocused, but at least they were open. He looked up at Astrid blearily and blinked as if to clear his vision.

"Astrid?" he whispered. "Wh...what...happened…?"

"You were shot," Astrid answered. "Wounded. Fishlegs patched you up. You need to rest."

Hiccup looked up at her as if resting was the most ridiculous idea he had ever heard. "Gustav," Hiccup murmured. "Gust...Gustav's...in danger. D-Dagur...Dagur has him."

"I know Dagur has him, Hiccup," Astrid said. "He sent us a note to make sure we knew, remember?" She hated hearing Hiccup's cracked, broken voice, but she didn't tell him to hush up and sleep. She needed to know where Gustav was if Snotlout was going to be able to go out and save him, after all.

Hiccup tossed his head. "D-Dagur has Gustav a-and the Dragon Eye," Hiccup moaned. "Y-you have to...to...to get Gustav back, and...and the Dragon Eye...before...before...nnnnnghhhh…" His head lolled to the side, and his voice trailed off into a pain-filled moan.

"Okay, okay, Hiccup, that's enough," Astrid said softly. "That's enough. You need to rest right now, okay? Just...close your eyes, alright?"

Hiccup shook his head again. "G-Gustav...he...he's...leading D-Dagur to...the earthquake island…" he gasped out. "Y...you have to...to...meet him there...and...t-take out D-Dagur…"

Why was Gustav on that island? And leading Dagur? What did that mean? Astrid decided not to argue with Hiccup; he was having a hard enough time speaking to her as it was. Arguing with him would only waste away more of his precious strength. "Okay, okay, we will," Astrid promised. "Or, some of us will."

Hiccup still didn't look reassured. "B-But...but be c-careful...Dagur...Dagur...you d-don't know what h-he's c-capable of."

"It's alright, Hiccup," Astrid said reassuringly. "It'll work out. We'll find a way, okay?"

Hiccup let his head fall back against the pillow again, breathing shallow gasps through his mouth. Astrid grabbed the hem of the blanket and pulled it over his shoulders and tucked it around him. If she couldn't help his pain, she could at least keep him warm.

Hiccup sighed in relief and sank back even further. "Thanks, Astrid," he murmured tiredly.

"You're welcome, Hiccup," Astrid said. "Don't worry, we'll take care of Gustav, and we'll get the Dragon Eye back from Dagur. You just focus on resting, alright?"

Hiccup nodded. "You...you sure you guys'll be alright?" he slurred.

Astrid wanted to roll her eyes. By Thor, she would never understand Hiccup. It seemed that no matter what situation he was in, or how badly he was injured, he would always worry about everyone else before he even stopped to worry (or even so much as think) about himself.

"Yeah, we'll be _fine_ ," Astrid assured. "Seriously, Hiccup. You have to rest now."

"But...but the others-"

"Will. Be. Fine." Astrid shoved her hands back against his shoulders. Oh, ugh, why didn't he just _close his eyes and sleep_ already? She honestly didn't get him. How did that brain of his work, anyways? If she'd been shot straight through her abdomen by an arrow and lost an insane amount of blood, she was sure she wouldn't be arguing about resting and taking it easy.

But not Hiccup, oh no.

He was a bit too complicated for that.

Astrid knew it was just in his nature, to be kind and caring and concerned about others beside himself, but in all honesty, sometimes, it was annoying, especially when he was hurt and wasn't resting because of his worry.

"I'm going to send Snotlout back out to get Gustav," Astrid said. She knew it was probably a bad idea, but she wasn't leaving Hiccup any time soon, and she needed Fishlegs' help nursing the wounded dragon rider back to health. Fishlegs knew more about healing than any of the others present, and although he still didn't know very much, he knew more than anyone else did.

She needed him.

Snotlout, on the other hand…

"Wait," Hiccup said. He didn't try to move; or maybe he couldn't move, with Astrid's hands pressed against his shoulders to restrict movement. "Snotlout? Astrid...are...are you sure that's the best idea?"

Astrid didn't know, but she knew there was no second guessing it now. Snotlout was the only one who could go. "I don't have a better idea for certain, if that's what you mean," she said. "The twins are on their way back to Berk to get Gothi, and I need Fishlegs here to help me take care of you."

"I'll...I'll be fine alone...if...if all three of you want to go…"

Astrid thought that was just about the stupidest idea she'd ever heard. Hiccup may have been wounded, yes, but that never seemed to stop his insane brain before. He would figure out some way to follow them and probably end up hurting himself all over again, or making his condition worse.

"No, no way," she said, shaking her head. "You aren't staying here alone."

"I'll...I'll have T-Toothless…"

Astrid knew that the loyal dragon wouldn't let Hiccup do anything that would do him further harm, but at the same time, that didn't mean she was going to leave Hiccup alone with just a dragon to take care of him. What if Hiccup grew worse, and Toothless couldn't help him? Toothless really couldn't leave to get help, either. Not without his rider.

"Sorry, Hiccup," Astrid shook her head yet again. "I'm not leaving you and neither is Fishlegs. Snotlout can handle Dagur, and he'll find some way to help Gustav, too. He's not as dumb as he looks."

"Looks...can be...deceiving…"

Astrid couldn't help but roll her eyes this time. Oh, Hiccup. "Snotlout will be fine," she said. "And if he's not, he'll figure a way to get himself out of whatever trouble he manages to get himself into. Just-"

She didn't even have time to finish her sentence, because Hiccup passed out, finally exhausted. Astrid didn't blame him. He should have just rested when she told him to, but she supposed he would always be stubborn, hurt or not hurt.

Snotlout suddenly burst through the door, a bucket of water held in his hands. He looked from Astrid, and then to Hiccup.

Astrid knew that if they didn't go after Dagur and Gustav soon, they might be too late. Hiccup said that Gustav was leading Dagur to the island full of earthquakes: she would have to send Snotlout there.

"Alright, Snotlout," Astrid said. "Set the water down." She couldn't actually believe she was saying this. Moreover, she couldn't actually believe she was asking for Snotlout's _help_. She took in a deep breath, and spoke. "You have to go stop Dagur."

…

Gustav wasn't stupid.

He didn't like being treated as though he were stupid, especially by Hiccup or the dragon riders, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that they'd never actually treated him as though he were stupid. They looked after him as a friend, not as a pathetic nobody who needed to be babysat. They were doing it for his safety, because they cared about him.

Gustav wasn't stupid.

Seriously, though, he should have known better than to trust Dagur and to think the Berserker wouldn't go back on his word and fire those crossbows at Hiccup.

Gustav had tried to stop him. He'd jumped in front of Dagur and screamed, thrashing when soldiers grabbed him, but to no avail. Fanghook was no help, either, the dragon also held back by Dagur's men.

Gustav watched and held his breath, hoping, and hoping, and hoping that somehow the arrows wouldn't hit their target.

But his hopes were in vain, because if the way Toothless jerked and staggered in the sky was any indication, one of the two - dragon or rider - had been hit.

Gustav didn't know which, and they were out of sight long before the crossbows could reach them again. As soon as they were gone, Gustav and Fanghook were released. Gustav thought about mounting Fanghook and leaving right then, back towards Dragon's Edge, but Dagur still had the Dragon Eye, and his men still had the crossbows.

Trying to leave would be insane, and trying to get the Dragon Eye _and_ leave was just plain suicide.

So, he had to keep playing his role as a dragon rider against Hiccup's friends, and hope Hiccup made it back to Dragon's Edge.

Reinforcements wouldn't have hurt much, either.

"Did we hit him!?" Dagur shouted from the bow of the ship. He raised his hands in triumph, the Dragon Eye held in one of them. "Aha! We hit him! Hopefully an accurate shot...and hopefully you hit Hiccup, not the dragon. See, dragons can withstand more. They can take more damage without actually being killed."

Dagur lowered his hands and turned around, walking casually towards Gustav. "Sorry you had to see that, kid," he said, although he didn't sound apologetic at all. "See, my brother and I have some unresolved issues. It wouldn't have been fair just to let him go without pain, don't you think?"

Gustav thought the exact opposite, but he knew that he had to keep playing his role, or else, who knew what would happen. "Yeah," he said, nodding. He shrugged. "I understand that. Hiccup and I sorta have some unresolved issues, too."

Dagur nodded and smiled, obviously still buying Gustav's act. _Good,_ Gustav thought. _Now, I just need to think of some sort of distraction while I wait for Hiccup to send reinforcements…_

He didn't know if help was coming, but if it was, he wanted to give it all the time he could. Who knew when Hiccup would reach Dragon's Edge ( _if_ he did at all. If he'd been shot, he might not make the distance).

Gustav shook his head. He couldn't think about that. If Hiccup got killed, it would be his fault. Gustav knew he should have listened to Hiccup; Hiccup was right, Gustav wasn't ready to become a dragon rider.

If Hiccup was hurt, there would be no one to blame but Gustav, and Gustav knew it.

"Alright then!" Dagur said. "Now!" He thrust the Dragon Eye into Gustav's hands with more force than necessary. "You were saying?"

Gustav knew what he was talking about, but he wasn't going to let it show. _Play dumb, play dumb, stall for time._ "Huh?" he said.

Dagur groaned. "The treasure!" he said. "What were you saying about the treasure!"

"Oh!" Gustav smacked his forehead in mock realization. "Whoops! Yeah-ha, the treasure! You know...I was thinking…" _Stall for time, stall for time, stall for time…_ "You just shot our arch rival, didn't you?" he said. "Can we at least have a few hours to celebrate before we rush off to do something else? I mean...seriously! Your men had great aim if they were able to hit Hiccup or his Night Fury!" He nudged Dagur's arm with his elbow. "You must have trained them well, huh?" he asked. "It's the only way this rotten bunch can do anything, am I right?"

To his surprise, and utter relief, Dagur sighed, but nodded. "Alright, fine!" he said. "We will spend three hours celebrating, but after that, we are going to get that treasure! Do you hear me?"

Gustav swallowed. "Loud and clear!" he said.

Dagur turned away and began shouting to his men, who ran off cheering, lowering their weapons. Gustav looked back down at the ground, and Fanghook cooed at him worriedly.

"Oh, please send help soon, Hiccup," Gustav whispered. "Send your best rider, please."

…

"HOOKFANG! OH...UGH...ACK! HOOKFANG!"

Snotlout couldn't believe that out of all the dragon riders who could have gone, he'd ended up being the one stuck with the task of getting Gustav and the Dragon Eye back from Dagur. Astrid was better for the job, but of course, he knew she wasn't about to leave Hiccup's side.

Quite honestly, though, Snotlout didn't blame the girl. He'd been pretty freaked out when his cousin arrived back at Dragon's Edge with an arrow running straight through him, too. The arrow ran _straight through him_ , by _THOR!_

Snotlout was surprised Hiccup was actually still _alive_.

Hookfang shot through the sky - problem was, the dragon kept lighting itself randomly on fire, which made it extremely hard for Snotlout to maintain his grip on the dragon's horns. Sometimes, he felt like leaping off the Nightmare's back all together: certainly, the ocean below was better than the fire above.

But, he didn't stop, and he didn't throw in the towel.

He had a few choice words for the man who hurt his cousin.

"Come on, Hooky!" Snotlout cheered. "Go! Snotlout and Hookfang, oy, oy, oy!"

The dragon roared, lit itself on fire, and sped onwards, all the while with Snotlout on his back shouting "OW OW OW OW OW!"

He was going to make Dagur pay for what he did.

…

Unfortunately, the celebration hadn't lasted quite as long as Gustav had hoped. Three hours must have been just simply too much time for Dagur to wait. They were going after a "treasure", after all.

Gustav wondered if help would come, preferably _before_ Dagur knew about the boy's treachery.

The Berserker ships sailed to a stop at the shore of the earthquake infested island. Gustav remembered what Hiccup had said, not in exact context, but in near exact context: _Those caves are honeycombed with the most unstable surfaces that we have ever encountered!_

Gustav knew for a fact that Hiccup's words were right, and now, the boy was leading Dagur straight into the trap.

And the maniac _deserved_ it.

Dagur and Gustav stepped off the ship, Gustav followed closely by Fanghook. Gustav stopped, wondering if there was any way for him to stall longer...or, maybe, at least get Dagur away from his fleet…

"Why are we stopping?" Dagur asked from behind him.

Man, this guy was impatient.

"Oh, you know," Gustav said. "I was just kinda impressed that you trust your men enough to show them _exactly_ where the treasure is hidden." He leaned in closer and whispered, "Especially when there's _sooooo_ much of it."

If that didn't get Dagur to leave his fleet behind, nothing would.

Gustav shrugged and continued forward, although he was still listening for Dagur's reaction to what he had said.

Soon enough, he heard Dagur shout, "Wait here!" at his men, and he sighed in relief. _Yes, it worked_.

"Why?" Savage asked suspiciously. Oh, Gustav wanted to _wring that guy's throat_ …

"Oh, um, I don't know," Dagur said with fake wonder. "Maybe because _I SAID SO!"_

Gustav continued forward, and Dagur, and Fanghook followed him closely. Gustav stopped in front of the cave, held the Dragon Eye forward, and nodded at Fanghook.

"Fanghook, slow burn," he commanded, and his dragon listened. The light of the Dragon Eye projected, orange-yellow runes lighting up the stone doorway.

"Wow," Dagur breathed. "You really outdid yourself, Hiccup. I _love_ this thing."

And they continued inside.

The first earthquake happened almost instantly, the ground shaking for just moments before it came to a stop. Gustav held his breath and waited; nothing more happened.

"Um, does that happen a lot?" Dagur asked.

"Eh," Gustav shrugged. "You get used to it."

Gustav wasn't stupid; of course he knew it was unsafe, and of course he knew that coming here wasn't the best idea. Of course he knew the formation was unstable, and of course he knew it wasn't safe.

He wasn't _stupid_.

But that didn't mean he couldn't trick Dagur into thinking that he was.


	32. Gone Gustav Gone Part 3

**Title: Gone Gustav Gone Part 3**

 **Summary: "The kid made me promise to let you go, unharmed." Then, disturbingly enough, Dagur grinned, and Hiccup's heart skipped a beat. "Ha," Dagur laughed, and then, he growled. "Too bad I never keep my promises."**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid, Gustav, Snotlout**

 **Rating: T (for blood, sorry guys)**

 **NOTES: YOU GUYS WANTED RACE TO THE EDGE WHAT-IFS, AND HERE ARE SOME RACE TO THE EDGE WHAT-IFS! :D I assume this one will be at least three parts long...so yeah. That's something you guys can look forward to. :) Enjoy! :D**

* * *

They continued on, into the cave. No more earthquakes followed, but that didn't mean Gustav felt reassured. He knew that any moment now, the ground could give away, and they could be falling to their deaths. He knew that the earthquakes could cause rockslides, and the rockslides could bury them, and if they weren't killed by the stones, they would suffocate beneath them.

Gustav waited and continued walking, the light of the Dragon Eye leading the way. He remembered what he'd done the first time he ever saw the Dragon Eye. He'd looked directly into the light, and he'd seen spots for the next five minutes.

He wondered if he could somehow use the same method on Dagur.

Well, it was worth a shot. If help hadn't already arrived, Gustav decided that it wasn't coming at all. He was on his own. He had to flash the light in Dagur's eyes, and duck for cover with Fanghook before Dagur recovered from the bright light.

Gustav froze, spun around, and shoved the head of the Dragon Eye right in front of Dagur's eyes. Dagur, who had not been expecting it, screeched in shock and clawed at his eyes. While he did that, Gustav turned, ran, and ducked behind a boulder, Fanghook doing the same beside him.

One problem remained, though…

The Dragon Eye was still lit.

"Bright light, bright light, bright light!" Dagur chanted. Gustav heard jumbled footsteps of the dazed maniac. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Dagur sang. Gustav couldn't help but let his breath quicken. Dagur was onto him now, and there wasn't anything he could do but hide and hope for the best.

An earthquake shook the area, and Gustav shut his eyes tightly. This one lasted longer than the previous one, and it scared him in more ways than he wished to admit. He didn't like showing fear, or admitting to fear, but he was afraid now, and that was obvious.

When the earthquake finally stopped, Gustav tried covering the light of the Dragon Eye with his hand, but it did nothing. Absolutely nothing at all. The bright light shined through his fingers, the roof of the cave illuminated in light.

Gustav turned, looking over his shoulder, trying to see past the boulder - it was a terrible idea, because he really should have been focusing his eyes _forward_. A strong hand clasped around his arm, and Gustav knew in a heartbeat that it was Dagur's hand.

"Gotcha!" Dagur's voice shouted.

"Nope!"

Gustav felt his hope rise at that voice. It wasn't who he'd been expecting; he'd been expecting Hiccup, but either way, it was a dragon rider, and it was a dragon rider he knew had come to save him.

Snotlout, to Gustav's surprise.

"We've got you!" Snotlout shouted, pointing at Dagur in triumph. Hookfang roared, lighting his wings on fire while beside him, Fanghook did the exact same thing, growling menacingly at Dagur.

But Gustav was worried now. If Hiccup had been alright, he would have come to save Gustav. Gustav _knew_ Hiccup; Hiccup would have come himself instead of sending Snotlout.

Which meant that Gustav's fears hadn't been in vain.

Dagur's men had shot Hiccup.

"Listen up, Dagur!" Snotlout shouted. "You hurt my cousin, and no one's allowed to hurt my cousin without my permission!" He thumped his thumb against his chest as if emphasizing his words. "NOW!" Snotlout shouted. "You are going to hand over the Dragon Eye, and let Gustav go!"

Dagur only grinned.

"RIGHT NOW, DAGUR!" Snotlout commanded.

Dagur yanked Gustav to his feet and flung the boy forward. Gustav stumbled, yet remained on his own two feet. He stared back at Dagur, hatred filling his eyes and murderous thoughts filling his mind.

"I could care less about the kid!" Dagu shouted offhandedly. "But why would I give you the Dragon Eye?"

"Because I'm not asking!" Snotlout leapt off Hookfang's back and stood beside Gustav, his fists balled at his side. "Give me the Dragon Eye, Dagur." He held out one hand expectantly.

Dagur tapped his chin. "Oh, I don't know," he said. "It would be so much easier if I just-"

Gustav saw what he was going to do. Gustav knew Dagur was planning on chucking the Dragon Eye into one of the many cracks breaking the ground. He knew Dagur was going to do it, and he knew that if he could, he was going to prevent it.

He lunged for the Dragon Eye, and Snotlout lunged for Dagur. Gustav ripped the Dragon Eye right out of Dagur's grip, and Snotlout fought the maniac as if he were a Berserker himself, throwing punches at Dagur's face and kicking his ribs whenever he had the chance.

"NOBODY HURTS MY COUSIN!" Snotlout yelled. " _NOBODY, DO YOU HEAR ME!?"_

Another earthquake rattled the ground. Gustav looked up, the Dragon Eye still in his grip. He knew that if more earthquakes hit, the roof was sure to collapse.

They had to get out of there.

Right now.

"Snotlout, we have to go!" Gustav shouted desperately, but Snotlout didn't listen. He kept punching, kept shouting, kept yelling and screaming at Dagur for hurting Hiccup, and making sure Dagur knew how angry the Jorgenson really was.

"Snotlout!" Gustav shouted. "We have what we came for! Let's go!"

Snotlout stopped and breathed heavily, looking down at his hands as if suddenly realizing what he'd been doing. He stood up off Dagur, who had a split lip, bruised cheeks, and a black eye. He snarled at Snotlout in a mighty rage.

"Coward," he hissed.

Then, he turned, and raced back out the mouth of the cave. Part of Gustav wanted to follow him, to make him pay, but at the same time, Gustav knew that they had to get back to Dragon's Edge.

Gustav had to know where that arrow had hit Hiccup.

"Come on, let's go!" Snotlout ordered, and Gustav raced to mount his dragon. Snotlout, on the other hand, jerked his head in the other direction, staring towards something Gustav couldn't make out.

"Snotlout!" Gustav shouted. "Come on! Let's go!"

"Go on!" Snotlout yelled. "I'll be right there!"

Gustav didn't want to argue with Snotlout, and he knew that Snotlout would be out, so he didn't waste any time directing Fanghook to fly out of a large, gaping crack in the ceiling.

Snotlout, meanwhile, strode towards the odd thing he had seen.

Strangely enough, it was a chest.

A chest? But what for?

Snotlout picked it up and brushed it off. "Treasure?" he wondered out loud to himself. "Is there really treasure here after all?" He opened the chest and looked inside. "What the...what the Thor is this?"

It looked like a dinner plate, only it was the perfect size to fit in the Dragon Eye. What did this mean? And what was this odd thing that looked remarkably like some sort of lense-?

Another earthquake shook Snotlout from his thoughts, and he shut the chest, held it underneath his arm, mounted Hookfang, and took off after Gustav.

The Monstrous Nightmares circled the sky, and shot back towards Dragon's Edge, towards their friends, and wounded leader.

…

"He's going to need stitches," Fishlegs said as he carefully examined Hiccup's wound. "I don't know how to do it, so we'll have to wait for Gothi to get here. Hopefully she brings all her supplies."

"I'm sure she will," Astrid said. She tried not to look at the arrow wound; she was pretty sure if she saw it again, she would leave, find Dagur, and kill him, no questions asked. "The twins will probably tell her he was shot, and she'll bring necessary supplies for that."

Fishlegs nodded. "You're right," he said. "Here, hand me that gauze."

The bleeding had stopped a long time ago, which was a major relief. Astrid knew he wasn't in danger of death, and for that she was thankful, but at the same time, he still wasn't getting better.

 _It's only been a couple of hours,_ she told herself. _Be patient. He'll get better soon enough._

As if proving her words, Hiccup groaned, and after a moment, his eyes opened. He blinked up at her blearily, but he looked more aware than he had a few hours ago, and that was at least comforting. "Astrid," he breathed.

Astrid nodded. "Took you long enough to wake up," she said.

Hiccup blinked again. "Did...Did Snotlout-"

Oh, seriously? Hiccup was already worried about Snotlout and Gustav? "Snotlout left hours ago, Hiccup," Astrid said. "I'd be surprised if he didn't show up right about now, actually. Would you stop worrying about them for _five minutes_ , please?"

"Yeah, Hiccup." Fishlegs stepped up behind Astrid, and Astrid was glad she had Fishlegs to help back her up. "You were shot. You lost a lot of blood."

Hiccup managed a weak smile in return. "What was your first clue?" he asked.

"Hiccup, this isn't funny," Astrid snapped back. Hiccup cringed, and for a moment, she felt bad for getting mad at him.

But only for a moment.

"Fishlegs is serious," Astrid continued on. "You were shot by Dagur, and you were hurt pretty bad. I mean it when I say that you have to relax."

Hiccup looked ready to protest, so, before he even got a word out, she ran her fingers through his hair. It was a trick she'd picked up on while Hiccup was unconscious after the battle against the Red Death. He'd been unconscious, of course, but sometimes, he was in pain, and it was noticeable.

He always relaxed when she carded her fingers through his hair, and she knew it. Hiccup knew that she knew, too.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "No fair," he muttered.

"Perfectly fair," Astrid said in response. "You need to sleep, now, okay? You'll be okay, Hiccup, as long as you get enough rest. You can't get that if you keep worrying about everyone else, got it?"

Hiccup sighed a second time. "Got it," he murmured. "I've...I've got it…gah..." He tensed and clenched his teeth, his hands over his stomach. He was in pain. He was in pain, and Astrid knew he was.

She just wished there was something else she could do about it.

"I'll look for herbs to help his pain," Fishlegs said as if reading her thoughts, and he was gone without another word. Astrid remained with Hiccup, her fingers dancing through his russet locks.

"You're shivering," Astrid whispered.

Hiccup nodded shakily. "Y...yeah," he said hoarsely. "It's...it's because the...the bloodloss…"

Astrid shook her head. "I know," she said. "I know, but you're supposed to be resting, remember?"

Hiccup cracked his eyes open. "But...but you...you were talking to me-"

Astrid tugged on his hair gently, just to get his attention. "Hey," she said, "I'm still talking to you, and I'm telling you to sleep, right now."

To her surprise, Hiccup simply shut his eyes. His breathing evened out, but just when Astrid thought he was sleeping, he opened his eyes again.

"I'll be okay," he said. "You know that, right?"

Astrid smiled. "Yeah," she said. "I do."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Aaaaannnnnddddd DONE! The rest of the episode basically plays out the way it did in the show, so Gustav goes back to Berk and everything is okay...there's really not a whole lot to write in this story, actually, sooooo…**

 **Yeah.**

 **Done.**

 **XD You guys can definitely expect some more RttE what-ifs in the future! I don't know how soon they'll be up, but yeah, you can definitely expect them from me. :) Anyways, I love you guys, and I'll talk to you later!**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	33. Pirates and Ropes

**Title: Pirates and Ropes**

 **Summary: When Hiccup is captured, the rest of the dragon riders sneak into a pirate's camp to rescue him.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Rating: K+**

* * *

It was night when Astrid crept through the trees of a thick forest, axe held tightly in her hand, ready to fight. She was alone; the rest of the dragon riders were awaiting her return in a clearing nearby. After all, stealth was easier when one was alone.

Astrid snuck between the trees, and suddenly, she ducked behind one. She had reached the clearing. She could tell by the deep, thickly accented voices and shallow light from a campfire.

Astrid peered over the side of the tree.

Yep. There they were. The gang of ten pirates who had taken Hiccup from them only days before. Hiccup had been being his stupid selfless self again, of course; when the pirates captured Astrid during a no-dragons-allowed hunting trip, Hiccup had offered himself in her place, using the excuse, _I'm the Chief of Berk's son, the perfect bargaining chip!_

The pirates had taken Hiccup's offer.

And now, here Astrid was, sneaking to the pirate's camp to rescue Hiccup. They had been tracking the pirates for days, and only today had all their hard work finally paid off. Between footprints and old burnt out campfires, the pirates had led the dragon riders right to him.

Right to Hiccup.

Astrid instantly scanned the camp for any sign of him. The pirates had no ship; nowhere to go with their charge. They couldn't have taken Hiccup anywhere else, which meant that he must have still been here with them-

Astrid's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"Hiccup…" she whispered.

He was sitting with his back against a tree on the outskirts of the campsite, bound with thick ropes to the tree without hope of escaping. A filthy gag was fastened around his mouth, and his head lolled to the side, resting on his shoulder. He was either unconscious, or asleep.

Astrid instantly looked to the pirates huddling around their campfire. They were laughing cheerily at a joke their leader had told, and as much as Astrid wanted to attack them and take them out, she reminded herself that the only reason she was here was because of Hiccup.

If he hadn't given himself up, it would have been _her_ bound to the tree, unconscious, with a gag fastened around her head.

She crept towards Hiccup from behind as fast as she dared, still making sure her footfalls were mostly silent. Once she was sure the pirates weren't looking in her direction, she knelt beside the tree and began cutting the ropes.

Every now and then, she looked back over at the pirates, to make sure none of them suddenly decided to check on their prisoner, but even then, Astrid's main focus remained on Hiccup. She pulled the ropes off him and tossed them aside with disgust; then, she took her dagger from her belt and sliced his gag off his mouth.

He still didn't wake.

"Hiccup," Astrid whispered, grasping his shoulder and shaking it. "Come on, Hiccup, I need you to work with me here...come on." She shook him again, and this time, his eyes fluttered and opened.

He glanced at her, and his green, exhausted eyes flooded with confusion. "Astird?" he said, and he said it a bit louder than Astrid would have liked. After making sure the pirates hadn't heard, she turned to him again.

"Shh, quiet," she whispered carefully. "I'm getting you out of here. Come on…" She grabbed his arm and pulled it around her neck and began rising to her feet. Hiccup grasped her forearm for support, and Astrid pulled him to a stand beside her, though he did more leaning than standing.

Astrid quietly made her way back through the forest, practically dragging Hiccup along beside her. Hiccup was limping; Astrid made a mental note to check on that, later.

"So," Hiccup mumbled from beside her; he hissed through his teeth in pain and squeezed his eyes shut. "What took you so long, milady?"

"Oh, you know me," said Astrid, trying to sound casual, though in reality she was scared out of her mind. "Mapping, charting, keeping track of the tracking...gotta do a thorough job of it, especially with pirates. You never know what they're going to do…"

"Right…" said Hiccup, and he sounded so out-of-it it was almost pathetic. "Yeah...sorry, can we take five? The world is kind of...spinning right now..." His knees buckled, and he would have fallen if Astrid hadn't caught him at the last second.

"Hey," she said, snapping in his face. "Work with me here, alright? I need you to stay with me until we meet back with the others."

Hiccup frowned. "The trees are _literally spinning,_ Astrid," he said, waving a hand at the forest. "I don't think that's good."

"It's not," said Astrid, "but we need help, alright? Here…" She pulled his arm over her neck, wrapping her other arm around his waist. "One step at a time."

"Right…" Hiccup said. "And if we run, we can have a three-legged race...without even having to tie our legs together…"

"Not funny, Hiccup."

"I know."

They walked on in silence for a few moments.

"...Sorry, Astrid…"

"Don't worry about it," said Astrid, looking at him. "Hey, are you falling asleep on me again?"

Hiccup's eyes snapped open. "No."

Liar.

"Just keep talking, Hiccup," Astrid said, dragging him on. "Come on, talk to me. It'll help keep you awake."

"Um...alright," Hiccup said. "So, do you come here often?"

Astrid groaned. "No," she said. "What about you?"

"I try not to," said Hiccup, "but y'know, pirates, idiots, really, danger is kind of one of those things…" He shut his eyes tightly again. "The trees are _really spinning,_ Astrid…"

"Okay, fine," said Astrid, "keep your eyes shut. We're almost there…"

And finally, they came to the dark clearing where Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut were waiting out. They had left the dragons at the Edge, because the pirates wore dragon skulls as helmets and scales as armor. Bring the dragons would instantly put them in danger.

So they had brought a ship instead to rescue Hiccup.

The instant Astrid brought Hiccup into the clearing, Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the twins surged forward. "Astrid!" said Fishlegs in a harsh whisper. "You got him!"

"Yeah, I got him," said Astrid. "But he isn't doing very good...here, help me lie him down…"

It took little no time before Hiccup was on his back on the ground, bordering unconsciousness again, eyes shut. Fishlegs looked him over for obvious injuries; Snotlout, unexpectedly, pressed his hand to Hiccup's forehead.

"He's got a fever, Astrid," Snotlout reported, removing his hand.

"Twins!" Astrid shouted at Ruffnut and Tuffnut, who instantly snapped to attention. "Bring me one of the water canteens! _Hurry!"_

Ruffnut and Tuffnut turned and raced away.

"I don't think he was injured severely…" said Fishlegs nervously, checking over Hiccup carefully with shaking fingers. "But if he has a fever…" He suddenly stopped. "Wait…" he said, and without waiting for a response, he moved a clump of hair away from the side of Hiccup's head.

There was a still-bleeding, deep gash on the side of his head, and worse than that, it was infected; the clear source of the fever. Astrid gasped, bringing her hand up to her mouth.

"Hiccup," she whispered. "What did they _do_ to you…?"

"Probably clobbered him upside the head to knock him unconscious," said Snotlout, not without concern. "I wonder why they did _that_ …"

"I only kicked the one…" muttered Hiccup tiredly.

"Don't speak, Hiccup," said Astrid, shaking her head. "Rest."

Fishlegs tied off Hiccup's bandage, just as Hiccup shut his eyes again. "That should hold until we get back to the Edge," said Fishlegs, tying off the bandages. "But we really should get to Berk and get Gothi involved. I don't know anything about dealing with infections."

"We got the water!" shouted Tuffnut, and he handed the canteen to Astrid, who took it from him and poured some of the water onto a bunched up piece of gauze. She dabbed Hiccup's forehead with it, trying to bring down his fever.

"Come on, Hiccup," Astrid whispered gently, but urgently all the same, taking his hand in hers. "Just be strong, alright? Be strong…"

And it could have been her imagination, but she was positive Hiccup squeezed her hand back.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 _ **IMPORTANT: IF YOU READ ANY OF THE "RACE TO THE EDGE FANFICTION SEASON" FANFICTIONS OF MINE, PLEASE READ ON! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THAT FANFICTION SERIES!**_

 **Okay! So, you guys have TWO options, and your feedback WILL determine what happens with that fanfiction series. **

**You ready?**

 **OKAY!**

 **OPTION** **1: I'll start posting Season 1B, but I won't be able to finish it before Season 3 of RttE comes out, which means I will stop one to two episodes into 1B to write 3B before season 4 comes out. _So, I can start posting Season 1B, and then pause mid-way to write Season 3B._**

 **OR:**

 **OPTION 2:** **I WON'T start posing Season 1B until** ** _AFTER_** **seasons 3B (and 4B, if ever there is one).**

 _ **YOUR FEEDBACK DETERMINES WHAT HAPPENS. TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT TO DO BECAUSE I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO AND I NEED YOUR HELP AND YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! :D**_

 **Oh, and concerning this short "Ouch!" story: this is a little something I came up with for no reason whatsoever, and I thought I'd give it to you guys, even though it's short and kind of inconclusive. Ah, well, I'll leave it to you guys to decide how you want Hiccup's healing to go. Imagine up all the theories you want. XD**

 **Sometimes I don't know how to end things. :/ "Big Man on Berk" what-if will be posted next! :D SEE YA! :D**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	34. Goodbye

**Title: Goodbye**

 **Summary: Sharpshot is dying, and Hiccup is devastated.**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Tragedy**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Sharpshot, Astrid**

 **Rating: K+**

 **Requested by: RiderOfNight. I'm so sorry about your cat. It's never easy. :'(**

 **NOTES: I listened to a piano cover of "Skyfall" by Adele while writing this, so if you guys are looking for something to listen to while reading, that's the song I'd suggest. Piano cover of Skyfall.**

* * *

The inside of the Haddock residence was warm. The lit fireplace not only supplied the room with heat, but light as well. Shadows danced across the walls as if they had minds of their own, and outside, the night sky hung over the terrain like a giant tent encasing the world.

Inside the house, up in the small loft, Hiccup sat on the edge of his bed, desperately fighting against the tears burning in his eyes. In his arms, he cradled Sharpshot, the small Terrible Terror he had trained when he was years younger.

It seemed like it was only yesterday.

How time flew.

Sharpshot had always been a very feisty little dragon, very obedient though he often got into mischief anyways. The dragon had always been very sweet, very helpful, and very loyal to the end.

But right now, Sharpshot was dying. Gothi had said it herself. Sharpshot was, unbelievably, older than Hiccup had originally assumed, and the Terrible Terror had been infected by a disease that only smaller, older dragons could catch.

And unfortunately, it was a disease without a cure and without an alternative other than death.

Hiccup hugged Sharpshot tight, not daring to let go. Toothless sat by Hiccup's side, watching the scene sadly, wishing there was something he could do, but there wasn't. He could only watch his rider and this tiny little dragon in pain.

Sharpshot's breathing was quick and shallow. Hiccup didn't want to admit it - to himself or otherwise - that Sharpshot's time was coming. His book was coming to a close. Hiccup swallowed thickly. He tried not to think about it.

It was hard to do.

Sharpshot nuzzled into him weakly, and that was it. Hiccup cried. Toothless shut his eyes, putting his front paws over his head in despair. Sharpshot licked Hiccup's cheek, trying to comfort him, but it seemed to do the exact opposite.

Hiccup didn't know what to say. He really didn't know what to _do_ , either. So he merely waited, silently hoping it wasn't the end, and that when they woke up the next morning, everything would be okay…

But then, Sharpshot stopped moving, and Hiccup's eyes snapped open. He waited, desperately hoping for a miracle…

But no.

Sharpshot didn't move.

His breathing stopped.

Hiccup swallowed thickly. _No…_

Sharpshot was dead.

Hiccup hugged the small dragon's body tight and sobbed. He had never once, in all his life, imagined this day. And yet the day had come…

Toothless nudged Hiccup, cooing sadly, and Hiccup stood. Gobber had built a small wooden crate for Sharpshot, and Hiccup gently set the dragon's body inside of it, covering Sharpshot with a thin piece of fabric. Hiccup then stepped backwards, hand over his mouth, trying to brush the tears off his face.

When Toothless nuzzled him again, Hiccup stopped trying to hold back his tears, and he embraced Toothless around the neck. Toothless, glancing mournfully over at the crate, wrapped his wings around Hiccup and embraced his rider back.

Standing in the doorway, silent, but sorrowful, was Astrid, who had watched the scene without Hiccup even acknowledging her presence. She crossed the room wordlessly, took the lid of the crate, and sealed it shut over Sharpshot's body.

Then, she stepped towards Hiccup, not knowing what to say. Her own Terrible Terror, Sneaky, spent most of his time away. He came back every now and then, to send an airmail for Astrid or say hello, but Astrid still knew that if she were in Hiccup's place, and Sneaky had been the one to die instead of Sharpshot, she would have been as upset about it as Hiccup.

Toothless stepped back when she approached, and Astrid quickly embraced Hiccup, trying in vain to comfort him. Hiccup didn't return the gesture for the longest time, but then, he hugged her back around her waist, chin on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Hiccup," Astrid whispered. "I'm sorry."

Hiccup swallowed thickly and shut his eyes, hugging her tighter. He was sorry, too, but he didn't trust himself to speak at this point.

"He had a good life," said Astrid, and now, she was crying, too, not as openly as Hiccup, but just as much. "He had a better life with you than he would have had in the wild."

"It's my fault," Hiccup whispered brokenly. "It's all my fault, Astrid…"

Astrid shook her head. She should have known the first thing Hiccup would do was blame himself. It was his fallback; the thing he did when he felt weak or vulnerable.

"No it's not," said Astrid firmly. "It's not. If you hadn't trained him, hadn't taken him in, he still would have gotten sick. And he still wouldn't have lived. If it wasn't for you, Hiccup, he would have died alone in the wild."

Hiccup swallowed again.

She was right.

But that didn't make it any easier.

"Oh, Hiccup…" Astrid whispered, and she kissed the top of his head. "I'm sorry."

Hiccup nodded. "Me too," he sobbed. "Me too…"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **This one-shot was written for RiderOfNight, whose cat is dying. I'm so sorry about your cat. It's always hard. Our family cat and dog died last year by rattlesnakes, and I know how hard it can be.**

 **I didn't mention this earlier, but this story is set a few months before HTTYD2. Just so you guys know when this took place and everything. And I don't actually know how old Sharpshot is, so it may or may not be inaccurate.**

 **Well, I'm not going to say I hope you enjoyed this one-shot, 'cause it's a tragedy genre, but I hope you guys didn't hate it. That's basically it.**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	35. Big Man on Berk What If Part 1

**Title: Big Man on Berk Part 1**

 **Summary: It wasn't Meatlug being in danger that shocked Fishlegs out of his trance. It was Hiccup.**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Fishlegs**

 **NOTES: So I wrote this a while back and never actually finished it. BUT NOW I DID AND DECIDED TO PUT IT RIGHT HERE FOR YOU GUYS. :D It'll be a two parter, so don't worry. AND I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG HONESTLY I AM SO SORRY. :( But I hope you guys enjoy it! :D Enjoy! :D**

* * *

Hiccup was having a bad day.

It was bad enough earlier on in the morning, when they were first trying to catch the Scauldron, and having to capture the dangerous dragon in the first place in order to relocate it, but then, Fishlegs had to start sneezing uncontrollably, and _then_ , everyone thought Fishlegs was allergic to Meatlug.

But that wasn't even the worst part, oh no. Because _then_ , after Gothi decided to try hypnotizing Fishlegs and make him believe he was _not_ allergic to the Gronckle, Snotlout made Fishlegs think he was a rough, tough, strong, heroic viking named Thor Bonecrusher.

But even THAT wasn't the worst part!

Then, Fishlegs (or, Thor Bonecrusher, as Fishlegs insisted on being called) decided to take Stoick's axe, which put a whole other load of problems onto Hiccup's already burdened shoulders, and then go after the Scauldron and take it for his own.

Now that was just ludicrous, but it's what Fishlegs was trying to do, and although it was stupid, at least Fishlegs hadn't been killed.

Yet.

The sky was dark with night, and even if it wasn't night, Hiccup was pretty certain it would have still been dark. The black clouds loomed over them, rain spilling from them and thunder dancing above them as if the sky were throwing a temper-tantrum. The wind was cold and bit into Hiccup's skin, despite his long sleeved shirt and leather armor.

Fishlegs was clinging to the Scauldron's head as it tossed back and forth, throwing its head to and fro in an attempt to fling Fishlegs off. Fishlegs only held tighter, laughing almost madly.

"This is what I live for!" the former-Fishlegs cackled.

Hiccup only hoped they could bring the real Fishlegs back. He didn't want to lose Fishlegs. Fishlegs and he had been best friends for as long as Hiccup could remember. Ever since they were little. There was that one Snoggletog, when they were seven, when Hiccup forged Fishlegs' first dagger. Fishlegs was so happy about that present.

Hiccup didn't want to see his friend lost to this new Bonecrusher character created by his snails-for-brains cousin.

Speaking of Snotlout…

The other riders were soaring over the ocean, looking for the Jorgenson. Despite Snotlout's stupidity, and the fact that Snotlout was the reason they were in this mess in the first place, Hiccup couldn't help but pity his idiotic cousin.

After all, Snotlout _was_ an idiot. He didn't know any better.

Still, Hiccup wished Snotlout would just be a little more _careful_.

Hiccup was brought back to the present when the Scauldron's tail flew straight towards him. Toothless barely managed to dodge it. _That was close!_ Hiccup thought wildly. He needed to be more careful. He probably wouldn't be so lucky the second time around.

"This would be so much easier if you'd submit to your new master!" Fishlegs shouted angrily when the Scauldron only continued trying to wrestle free from Fishlegs' grip.

The water dragon finally had enough, and when it did, it turned and dove straight into the ocean, head-first, taking Fishlegs down with it.

Fearing the worst, Hiccup turned Toothless, and darted right after him, right into the violent ocean waves.

Hiccup kept his breath held, making sure to keep from breathing in any water. The Scauldron was right in front of him, and so was Fishlegs. Toothless continued flying beneath the water, plowing towards Fishlegs and the dragon.

Maybe he was going a little too fast…

Hiccup realized the mistake only moments too late. The Scauldron's tail was right there, flapping to move through the water, and it smacked against the side of Hiccup's head, flinging him off of Toothless and subsequently knocking the air clear out of his lungs.

Suddenly, Hiccup couldn't breathe. He watched in terror as air bubbles rose to the surface, but that was all he could do. He kicked helplessly, but his prosthetic leg weighed him down. He saw Toothless, and he saw the dragon fight to grab him, but Toothless also looked disoriented by the weight of the Scauldron's tail whacking him upside the head.

Hiccup swallowed a mouthful of water by accident, and he coughed on instinct. Smaller air bubbles appeared in front of his field of vision for just a moment before fleeing to the surface, just like Hiccup wished he could do. He kicked again, swallowed another mouthful of water down the wrong way, and coughed again.

His lungs were tight. His ribs felt as though someone were snapping each of them clear in half, one by one, taking all the sweet time in the world. Hiccup could feel himself swallowing more water than he wished to think about, but he couldn't stop himself. The salt in the water burned the back of his throat, and when he coughed, it felt even worse, as though someone were forcing him to swallow a white-hot sword and slicing his throat to ribbons in the process.

He tried holding on. He tried to think, but he couldn't think clearly, and when he could, he could only see little glimpses. He imagined Fishlegs. He imagined Astrid. He imagined Snotlout. He imagined the twins, and the dragons, and everyone else on Berk.

 _You're failing them, Hiccup,_ a voice in his head told him. _You're failing all the people who care about you._

At the same time, there was another voice. _You're failing them? Oh well. You were always useless to them anyway. Just let go. Let yourself drown. There's no point in this anymore. You have no hope. You'll die, just like it was always destined for you to do._

He didn't know where that second voice was coming from, and he didn't listen to it. He kept holding on. He kept fighting. He forced himself to kick, even though it was useless.

He wasn't going to go down without a fight.

He kicked desperately. He swallowed more water. He coughed. His throat ached. His chest burned. The edges of his vision blackened.

He tried holding on…

But it was so hard.

It wasn't him "letting go" anymore. He wasn't letting go of anything.

He was being _stripped away_ from _everything_. From life, from his friends, from his family, from his island...he was being stripped away from everything and everyone he cared about.

The worst part?

There was nothing he could do about it.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Hiccup's eyelids flickered, and eventually, slid shut.

…

Thor Bonecrusher was having a great day.

He had never felt more alive. Here he was, on the back of the mighty Scauldron, taming the beast. Granted, it wasn't going very well, but Thor Bonecrusher was never going to give up. Not until the beast was in his command.

The Scauldron shot into the water in an attempt to try and get Thor Bonecrusher away, but Thor Bonecrusher only held tighter. He wasn't going to give up so easily. Never in his life. Not Thor Bonecrusher. He was far too brave and strong and mighty to give up.

This dragon would be his. He would ride the Scauldron and leave the Berkians in awe. He would-

 _"Mmmmrrrpph!"_

There was a muffled yowl of pain from somewhere behind him, and Thor Bonecrusher couldn't help but turn and glance over his shoulder. A distress! A call for help! And Thor Bonecrusher was going to answer that call.

When he turned around again, though, he saw something that made his heart skip a beat.

There was that boy - that weird, toothpick of a boy who kept calling him "Fishlegs." Thor Bonecrusher knew not of this Fishlegs.

But then...as Thor Bonecrusher watched as this boy began struggling, flailing his arms about as he fought to get back to the surface, he began to remember.

Fishlegs? Now that he thought about it, the name _did_ sound familiar. In fact...wasn't it... _his_ name? His name was Fishlegs; not Thor Bonecrusher. That was odd. Fishlegs thought for sure that his name was Thor Bonecrusher.

He continued studying the boy. The boy also seemed familiar, like a face seen in a vague dream. Fishlegs tried to remember.

And suddenly, he did. The memories raced back at him, just as the Scauldron flew back out of the water. The boy was Hiccup. Hiccup was Fishlegs' best friend.

And Hiccup was beneath the waves of the ocean, drowning.

Fishlegs felt fear. "No!" he shouted. "Hiccup!" There was no reaction, and neither Hiccup nor Toothless resurfaced. "HICCUP!" Fishlegs shouted again, but still, nothing happened.

Fishlegs knew he had to do something. He had to do something to save his friend, or Hiccup would die. Fishlegs, all at once, although he didn't know what he was doing completely, leapt off the Scauldron and dove into the water.

He had to get to Hiccup, somehow.

He didn't know how he would manage to save Toothless, but he would have to cross that bridge when he came to it. He, despite his fear, fought his way through the water and towards his sinking friend.

The first thing Fishlegs did when he reached Hiccup was grabbed Hiccup's arm tightly. Hiccup didn't react. His eyes were closed, his lips parted. He wasn't even struggling anymore. He wasn't flailing his arms or kicking his legs. He wasn't moving. Fishlegs didn't want to think about how much water the boy had swallowed already.

He looked at Toothless, who was still trying in vain to pull Hiccup above the surface of the water although it did nothing. Fishlegs didn't know what he was going to do. Was this how he was really going to die? Was he going to die a coward, giving up on his friends?

Just before he was certain he had led Hiccup and the others to certain doom, another feature appeared in the water.

Astrid, sitting on Stormfly's back, the Nadder submerged entirely in the ocean..

She must have heard Fishlegs when he shouted for Hiccup. Her cheeks were puffed as she held her breath, although she looked as though she would gasp when she caught sight of Hiccup. She reached out and grabbed Fishlegs' arm, and Stormfly grabbed Toothless in her claws. Together, Astrid and Stormfly worked their way to the surface of the water.

Fishlegs instantly began gasping, sucking it all in greedily, thankful to have oxygen again. He made sure Hiccup's head was above the water, just to have his heart stop for another split second when he realized that Hiccup wasn't gasping as he was.

He wasn't breathing at _all,_ in fact.

"Is he okay!?" Astrid demanded. She sounded more terrified than Fishlegs had ever heard her before.

"No!" Fishlegs shouted. "He's not breathing-"

He didn't even have time to finish his sentence before Astrid reached down, grabbed Hiccup out of Fishlegs' grip, and hauled him onto Stormfly's back. As soon as Hiccup was secure in front of her, she reached back down and held her hand out to Fishlegs.

"Come on, hurry up!" Astrid snapped, and Fishlegs did as he was told, taking the girl's hand and pulling himself onto Stormfly's back. Stormfly then shot out of the water, Toothless in her claws, and flew towards the shore.

"Everyone, retreat!" Astrid commanded. "If you have Snotlout, follow us!"

She either didn't notice that Thor Bonecrusher was once again replaced with Fishlegs, or she was simply too preoccupied to care. Fishlegs decided on the latter, noticing how Astrid kept pressing her hands against Hiccup's chest, whispering, "Hang on, hang on, Hiccup," over and over again.

Fishlegs honestly didn't know what they were going to do. Hiccup was leaning back up against Astrid's chest, his head lolled against her shoulder in his unconsciousness, and she kept her arms wrapped around his chest, her hands pressing over where his heart would be.

 _Checking for a heartbeat,_ Fishlegs noted. _Oh Thor, please let him have one. Please let him have a heartbeat…_

"His heart's still beating," Fishlegs heard Astrid whisper as if she had been reading his mind and heard his unspoken plea.

That was good, but the fact that he still wasn't breathing didn't sit well with Fishlegs.

As they rushed towards the shore, the other riders following them closely, Fishlegs could only hope they weren't too late.


	36. Big Man on Berk What If Part 2

**Title: Big Man on Berk Part 2**

 **Summary: It wasn't Meatlug being in danger that shocked Fishlegs out of his trance. It was Hiccup.**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Fishlegs**

 **Rating: K**

* * *

Astrid's day had gone from bad to worse.

She was trying to save Snotlout, when suddenly, she'd heard Fishlegs - not Thor Bonecrusher, but the terrified Fishlegs she knew - shouting "No! Hiccup! HICCUP!" before leaping off the Scauldron's back and diving into the water.

Astrid had left the twins to get Snotlout while she herself doubled back around and dove into the water after Fishlegs. She'd found them beneath the ocean, Fishlegs and Toothless struggling while Hiccup was already unconscious. With Astrid and Stormfly's help, they had all made it back to the surface of the water.

Now that was all fine and dandy, but it would have been even better if Hiccup had been at least _breathing_.

Astrid kept her hands pressed against his chest, feeling his heart flutter weakly behind his ribcage. She didn't know how long he had been under the water, or how long he had been deprived of oxygen, but she knew that Hiccup had water where his air was supposed to be, and it was clogging his lungs, keeping him from breathing.

She pushed against his chest occasionally, trying to see if she could make his coughing reaction kick in, but she knew she wouldn't be able to do anything until they reached the shore.

She was trying to be calm, really, she was, but it wasn't working very well.

"Faster, Stormfly, faster," Astrid urged.

Stormfly chirped in agreement and sped onwards. Behind her, Astrid was aware of Snotlout and the twins flying, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

The shore was in sight, and as soon as Stormfly touched down on the wet sand, Astrid jumped off Stormfly's back, pulling Hiccup with her with more force than necessary. She practically threw her friend against the ground and then bent over him, her hands once again pressing against his chest.

All of a sudden, she couldn't feel his heartbeat.

She couldn't feel his heartbeat.

"Hiccup," she gasped. She couldn't think for a few moments. Her brain seemed to have stopped right there. Then, she shook her head, her eyes widening when she came to the realization. "HICCUP!"

She heard the others and their dragons land around them, and then Fishlegs dismount across from her, but she couldn't think about it. She didn't know what to do. She wasn't an expert at drowning.

But there was one thing she thought that maybe she could do. She had seen it done before, when a fisherman fell overboard.

She didn't know what she was doing, but she decided that anything was better than doing nothing, and if she could bring Hiccup back, it was even better. She folded her hands over his chest and, using as much force as she dared, began pushing and pressing Hiccup's chest repeatedly.

"Come on, come on!" she shouted desperately"Come on, don't do this! Don't do this to me!" No reaction. He didn't cough, he didn't breathe, _couldn't breathe.._.

" _Come on!"_ she growled. "Come on, breathe, _FOR THE LOVE OF THOR, HICCUP!_ " She wasn't going to lose him like this. She couldn't lose him like this.

" _BREATHE!"_ she shouted, slamming her fists down onto his chest in one last attempt to save his life.

And, to her disbelief and relief, Hiccup coughed. He coughed and choked and gagged, water spilling from his pale lips. Terrified he would choke and begin suffocating all over again, Astrid grabbed him by his shoulders and manhandled him into a sitting position, slapping him on the back with more force than she meant to use.

She heard the others behind her sigh with relief, but she really couldn't bring herself to acknowledge it. When he finally stopped coughing, he laid, doubled over in Astrid's arms, unconscious.

She rubbed his back. He spat up more water, even in his unconscious state. She looked up at the other riders. She knew unconsciousness was common for someone in Hiccup's state; the lack of oxygen got to his head, and he passed out because of it. She knew he would be fine when he woke up.

She looked back at the ocean and heard a dragon roar. She was reminded, all at once, of the water dwelling dragon still taking residence in the ocean. She didn't want to leave Hiccup by a long shot, but she knew that they had to relocate the Scauldron, and she would have to lead the others now that Hiccup was unconscious.

"Someone needs to take him back," she said. "The Scauldron's still out there. We have to relocate it."

Instantly, Fishlegs' hand shot into the air, and Astrid looked at the chubby boy. No longer Thor Bonecrusher - Fishlegs was back to being Fishlegs. She knew Fishlegs would never hurt Hiccup. He would be careful with the unconscious rider.

"Are you sure, Fishlegs?" Astrid questioned. "You don't even have a dragon to ride."

Fishlegs opened his mouth to answer, but then, Meatlug dropped from the sky, landing directly in front of Fishlegs. "Meatlug!" Fishlegs said happily as he raced forward and embraced his dragon's head. Meatlug licked him back.

It was sweet and all, but Astrid was really focused on getting Hiccup back to the village as quickly as possible. "Okay, Fishlegs," Astrid said. "Take him, hurry. Get him to Gothi. Have her check his breathing."

Fishlegs nodded, stepped away from Meatlug, and slowly, carefully, took Hiccup from Astrid and into his own arms, one of Fishlegs' arms under Hiccup's shoulders while his other arm slid in the crook of his knees. The way Hiccup's head lolled limply against Fishlegs' arm made Astrid wince.

"Be _careful_ with him, Fishlegs," Astrid hissed. It wasn't like she didn't trust Fishlegs; she just didn't want anything else happening to Hiccup. "Don't fly too fast."

"Meatlug is slow and steady," Fishlegs assured her. His grip on Hiccup was tight but gentle. "Don't worry. We'll be careful."

Astrid didn't question him further. Instead, she turned and looked back at Stormfly and the other riders. Toothless growled at Astrid, his eyes glued to Hiccup. "Okay," Astrid said. "Toothless can follow you guys from the ground. Hurry, Fishlegs."

Fishlegs nodded, carefully mounted Meatlug, and they were airborne. With that done, Astrid turned to the other riders, shouted, "Come on! Let's get this Scauldron to a new home!", and then, after mounting their dragons, they were off, towards the ocean.

…

Hiccup was fine, according to Gothi. Astrid hadn't broken any of his ribs during her furious chest compressions, and the unconscious was due to lack of oxygen to his brain. Although Gothi had said Hiccup would make a full recovery, and a speedy one at that, Fishlegs still felt awful.

This was _his fault_. It was his fault Hiccup was hurt, his fault Hiccup had nearly died, his fault, _all his fault_.

Right now, Fishlegs was waiting beside Hiccup's sick bed, drumming his fingers against his knee nervously. He couldn't help it. He _couldn't_.

Hiccup suddenly stirred, and as soon as he did, Fishlegs looked at him. "Hiccup?" he said uncertainly, and Hiccup opened his eyes, blinking multiple times to clear his blurry vision. He looked at Fishlegs, squinting in confusion.

"...Fishlegs?"

It was too much for Fishlegs. "Hiccup!" he shouted, and before Hiccup could protest or ask what was going on, Fishlegs was crushing him in a tight embrace. Hiccup swallowed thickly; it became hard to breathe again.

"Okay... _okay, Fishlegs,"_ he said, voice strained. "Now...just...if I could... _breathe_ …"

"Oh, right," Fishlegs said, and he released Hiccup instantly. Hiccup's head was pounding, and his lungs ached, but he was alive. The last thing he remembered was being submerged in the ocean, trying to get back to the surface.

And now he was here.

"Um...so it's you," Hiccup said. "You're...you're back to normal…? No more 'Thor Bonecrusher'?"

"Thank Odin, no," said Fishlegs, and he twiddled his thumbs. "Hiccup, I'm so sorry. You nearly died, and...and it was all my fault!"

"No it wasn't," said Hiccup, shaking his head. "It wasn't your fault, Fishlegs. It was Snotlout's fault. He was the one who hypnotised you like that. You didn't have a say in it."

"I know," said Fishlegs, "but...but…"

"Fishlegs, even if it _had_ been your fault," Hiccup said, "I'd almost die a thousand times over if it meant having the real Fishlegs back. I couldn't _stand_ Thor Bonecrusher."

"Even though he was braver than me?"

"Fishlegs," said Hiccup, "Thor Bonecrusher was a _coward_ compared to you."

Fishlegs looked at him uncertainly. "You really think so…?"

"Of course I do!" said Hiccup, smiling. "Now stop blaming yourself for my almost death. I can almost die fine enough on my own."

"You're right," said Fishlegs, and he got to his feet. "You're right! It's not my fault!" Suddenly, his eyes darkened. "It's _Snotlout's_ fault," said Fishlegs, and he smiled in a definitely not-usually-like Fishlegs way and turned towards the door.

"Don't be too hard on him, Fishlegs," called Hiccup.

"Oh, I won't be," said Fishlegs. "I won't be _too_ hard on him…"

And he left Gothi's hut.

Toothless slid up beside Hiccup and cooed, pressing his nose against Hiccup's chest; Hiccup hugged the dragon briefly, and then looked back at the door. "Yeah, I know, bud," Hiccup said, rubbing the Night Fury's head. "If Snotlout doesn't show up tomorrow for training, I'll definitely know why. Thor Bonecrusher may have been tough...but no one's tougher than Fishlegs."

Toothless nodded in agreement and licked Hiccup's face. Hiccup scowled.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Like I said, I started this a long time ago and never got around to finishing it, so I hope you guys liked it anyways…**

 **SERIOUSLY THOUGH I HOPE YOU LIKED IT! :D :D :D :D :D I love you guys! :D**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	37. Despite It All

**Title: Despite it All**

 **Summary: Snotlout had always been jealous of Hiccup, but he** _ **does**_ **have a heart beneath all that boasting and resentment.**

 **Characters: Hiccup, Snotlout**

 **Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family**

 **Rating: K+**

 **NOTES: Okay, so a lot of you guys who read "That's My Cousin You're Talking About!" a few chapters previously were asking for some more Hiccup and Snotlout bonding (because I still think Snotlout is an awesome cousin despite his tendency to be arrogant and idiotic), and so here it is! :) This is set during Race to the Edge, probably in the middle of season 2. Nothing fancy, but I hope you all like it regardless. :) Enjoy! :)**

* * *

It was all Hiccup's fault.

Well, okay, _technically speaking,_ it wasn't _all_ Hiccup's fault, but that was how Snotlout decided to put it for the time being.

Snotlout was stumbling through the forest, dragging a barely-conscious Hiccup beside him. Above them, the sky, as dark as night, hung, stars strung up in it. The moon was nowhere to be seen, which made it a bit hard to maneuver through the trees of the dark, winding forest.

"For the love of Thor, Hiccup," moaned Snotlout, pulling his cousin's arm further around his neck, "I didn't think you were this heavy."

"I'm _not_ ," said Hiccup breathlessly, limping alongside Snotlout. "You just like complaining."

"Well, maybe if I hadn't been dragging your lazy butt through the forest for the past three hours, I _wouldn't_ have anything to complain about!" Snotlout retaliated, furious.

"It's not like I _asked_ you to rescue me," muttered Hiccup. "I was doing fine on my own."

Snotlout gave him a skeptical look and rolled his eyes. "Right."

He probably would have believed Hiccup, too, if he wasn't limping from a twisted ankle, bleeding from what looked like a heavy blow to the head, and wincing every time he took a breath too deep - he must have bruised a rib or two.

"What did you to do make those dragon hunters hate you so much, huh?" demanded Snotlout, and now he was scanning their surroundings, searching for a clearing.

Hiccup laughed mirthlessly, but it died early in his throat.

"Okay, fine, that was a stupid question," said Snotlout, once again casting his eyes to the sky.

"Yeah, it rather was, Snotlout."

They finally made it to the clearing, where Snotlout had left his supplies before charging into the forest after the dragon hunters - and Hiccup, their captive. "Here," said Snotlout, sinking to the ground with Hiccup by a tree. "Wait here. Don't move."

Hiccup smiled, though it was more of a wince, and leaned back against the tree. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Good," said Snotlout, already turning away. He grabbed the nearest satchel and dug through it. As he did, he recounted the encounter with the dragon hunters and looked over his shoulder, wondering if a few of them had followed him and Hiccup after all.

Hiccup and Snotlout had taken a no-dragons-allowed expedition to Healer's Island in search of the blue oleander flower. Gothi had asked for it, planning to dissect the flower and study it to find whatever healing properties the flower possessed, and as dragons were deathly allergic to the flower, Hiccup and Snotlout had taken a ship, alone.

Snotlout took two pieces of flint from the satchel and knocked them together over an assembled pile of sticks. Once they'd arrived at their destination of Healer's Island, they had split up to cover more ground.

Big mistake.

The dragon hunters had cornered Snotlout and were planning to take him back to their base when Hiccup stepped in and offered himself in Snotlout's place with his trademark, "I'm your enemy, it's me you want!" speech.

The dragon hunters had, needless to say, taken him up on the offer, leaving Snotlout behind.

From then, everything was a bit fuzzy. Snotlout had followed the dragon hunters, manning his and Hiccup's ship on his own (a feat that even the best captains and sailors would have found impressive), and finally caught up with them on a stop they made just a few hours' sail away from their destination.

They'd made camp.

Snotlout had infiltrated it.

The hunters had retreated with a promise for revenge.

And that was how Snotlout came to be dragging Hiccup, whom he had freed from the hunters' custody, through the dark forest in the dead of night.

Snotlout threw the flint to the ground with a shout of fury and crossed his arms. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get it to light. He took a piece of birch, set one end in the pile of sticks, and began twisting the other end between his hands, back and forth, trying to start the fire that way.

Hiccup watched him, dazed. "You might try old-growth pine," he said halfheartedly.

Snotlout stopped and took in a deep breath. _Must not yell at him, must not yell at him._ "What?" he said, irritated.

"You know...pine," said Hiccup again. "We passed some stumps on our way over. They're saturated with sap, should light really quick-"

"Thanks for the input, Princess," said Snotlout, "but I know what I'm doing."

Hiccup merely shrugged. Snotlout got back to work, trying time, time, and time again to light the fire...but each time garnered the same results. None.

Finally, he admitted defeat, stood, and turned towards Hiccup. "What did you say about pine?" he muttered.

Hiccup smirked at him. Snotlout's anger burned. He actually _smirked_ … "Behind us," said Hiccup, jerking his head slightly in that direction. "Pine stump. It should smell like paint."

"Thanks," grumbled Snotlout halfheartedly, and he stormed back through the forest. He found what Hiccup was talking about without any difficulty, and as he pulled strips of sap-saturated pine wood off the tree, he mumbled to himself.

"Stupid know-it-all," Snotlout said under his breath, piling wood into his arms as he did. "I didn't need his help. I would've done it on my own eventually."

But even as he said it, he knew it wasn't true. Hiccup couldn't brag to save his life, and Snotlout definitely wouldn't have thought to use saturated pine for the fire. He would have sailed all the way back to Dragon's Edge and brought fire-breathing Hookfang back to start the campfire before he thought of it.

He headed back to the clearing, arms full of pine. But almost as soon as he did, he stopped.

"Hiccup!?" he said, dropping the wood carelessly and racing towards his cousin. Hiccup now appeared unconscious, eyes shut, leaning heavily against the back of the tree.

Snotlout may have not been the smartest Viking, but he certainly wasn't stupid. He knew Hiccup had a head injury, and he knew it wasn't one to be taken lightly.

"Hey, Hiccup," Snotlout tried, kneeling in front of him and poking his shoulder - nothing. Hiccup didn't move. "Come on, don't do this to me," said Snotlout, grabbing him by the shoulders now, shaking him. "Hiccup!"

Hiccup's eyes flew open, and he looked around dazedly for a moment. When his eyes found Snotlout, he groaned, "What?"

"No sleeping," said Snotlout, releasing Hiccup's shoulders. "You've got a head injury. You're not supposed to sleep."

"Right…" said Hiccup, blinking rapidly, reaching up to touch his head. "Sorry…"

Snotlout didn't respond. He got to his feet, gathered up the wood again, and went right back to making the campfire.

Hiccup was right - using the pine, it didn't take more than five minutes before Snotlout got a nice fire going. Embers fluttered upwards, into the sky, and Snotlout grabbed his second satchel - a make-shift medical bag full of supplies he had managed to snatch from the dragon hunters - and headed back over to Hiccup.

"I don't got much," said Snotlout, "but it should be enough to at least bandage your head…" He pulled a roll of gauze from the satchel and, as carefully as he could, began wrapping it around the still-bleeding wound. Hiccup watched him, blinking, clearly trying to keep himself awake.

"What'd you do to make them clobber you like that, huh?" Snotlout said, as he tied of the gauze and dug through the satchel again.

Hiccup sighed. "Ryker was trying to make a point," he said. "He jabbed me with his finger and told his men, 'there is a fool on the end of my arm.'"

"Yeah, so?"

"I asked him which end."

Snotlout snorted with laughter; he couldn't help it. Hiccup stared at him, confused, and Snotlout finally got ahold of himself. "Sheesh, Hiccup," he said. "You're either really brave, or really stupid."

"I like to think of it as a mix of both, thank you very much," said Hiccup.

Snotlout found another strip of bandages at the bottom of the satchel, and he grabbed two nearby sticks. When he turned back around, Hiccup had closed his eyes again.

"Hey," Snotlout said, snapping his fingers in Hiccup's face, and Hiccup jolted awake again. "Don't fall asleep on me. Keep talking, alright? Your ankle. You were limping earlier, right?"

Hiccup looked down at his foot for a moment. "Yeah," he said. "I don't think you have to worry about it. It's not broken."

"I'm still splinting it," said Snotlout, and he got to work before Hiccup could open his mouth. "Better to be safe than sorry, right?"

Hiccup shrugged.

"But seriously, Hiccup," said Snotlout. _Keep him talking, keep him talking_ , the voice in the back of his mind told him. _Don't let him sleep or he might never wake up again._ "What did they do to you?"

"The usual," said Hiccup, breathless. "They didn't like the fact I kept outsmarting them. I would have escaped, but Ryker kept catching me at the last second. By the time he decided to interrogate me he was in a bad mood...and I just added logs to the fire…"

"Well, I'm glad you're alive," said Snotlout, finishing the splint and sitting back to look over his work. "With a mouth like yours and a temper like Ryker's, I'm surprised he didn't make you walk the plank."

"Oh, believe me, he tried," said Hiccup, "but there were Scauldrons in the water. He's a lot of things, granted, but he's not an idiot. He must have known throwing a dragon trainer into an ocean of dragons is a bad idea."

"Yeah...must have…" muttered Snotlout.

For a few moments, there was silence, in which Snotlout used to contemplate, get his thoughts together. He supposed he had always been somewhat jealous of Hiccup. First of all, the boy had a birthright that could have very well been Snotlout's. If only Spitelout, Snotlout's father, had been borth eldest brother. If that were the case, Snotlout would be next in line for Chieftain.

But _noooo_ , instead, Stoick had been born first, before Spitelout, and Stoick's firstborn son was a _hiccup_ , a runt, someone not expected to survive their first winter, much less _grow up_.

And yet here they were.

Snotlout turned his thoughts over in his mind once, twice, and then a third time. And then - only then - did he realize that what he felt for Hiccup wasn't jealousy.

It was _admiration_.

Because Hiccup was brave. Hiccup was the one who had stood up to the hunters, given himself in Snotlout's place. It was Hiccup who led the charge against the Red Death, who had lost his leg defending a village who deserted him, against a foe bigger than anything the Berkians - or any other Viking for that matter - had ever encountered.

Snotlout didn't have the guts to do that.

Didn't possess the selflessness his stupidly courageous cousin seemed to be born with.

"...How do you do it, Hiccup?" he blurted, before he could stop himself.

Hiccup jerked and blinked. "Do...what?"

"Just...everything," said Snotlout, waving his hands, gesturing in Hiccup's general direction. "The whole deal. The 'take me instead of Snotlout' deal, the 'let's go fight against the Red Death' deal, the…"

He sighed heavily.

"You know what?" he said. "I've always admired you, Hiccup. Yeah, I said it. You're just... _weird_ , okay? I don't know how else to put it. You're the worst viking in history and yet you're also the best...does that make sense?"

Hiccup frowned at him. "...No…?"

Snotlout sighed again. "...Thanks, I mean," he said. "Thanks for giving yourself up. Thanks for...you know...always being brave. For leading the charge against the Red Death, for training a dragon when no one else thought of it...I wouldn't have been able to do that. I admire that, Hiccup."

Hiccup blinked once, then twice, and then again, in a rapid session. Snotlout stared at him, waiting for a response.

"Hiccup?"

"Who are you and what have you done with Snotlout?"

Snotlout snorted and gave Hiccup a light shove. "Shut up, you," he muttered. "Caring isn't my strongest suit, so take it, okay? I'm not repeating myself."

Hiccup offered him a weak grin. "I know," he said. "Thanks, Snotlout…"

"Don't mention it," said Snotlout. Pause. "Seriously, don't mention it. Ever. Alright? Especially not to the other riders."

"I hear ya," said Hiccup. "They'd never believe me anyways."

"You little-"

"Jerk."

"Are you talking for me, or defining me?"

Hiccup shook his head, which could have meant anything. Snotlout sighed, leaning up against the tree, right beside Hiccup. "In all seriousness, though," said Snotlout. "Don't get hurt like this again, alright? You're making me care, and I don't like caring."

"You make it your duty to make sure I remember that."

"I swear, Hiccup, if you weren't already hurt..." Snotlout let his threat hang in the air for another few moments. Then he sighed once again, turning away from Hiccup. "Honestly, though," he said, shaking his head. "You're probably the bravest person I know, Hiccup. And don't make me say it again, because I won't. Okay?"

He waited for an answer, but one never came.

" _Okay?"_ he repeated, this time turning his head back towards Hiccup.

Hiccup's eyes were shut again, and Snotlout's heart plummeted. "Hey, Hiccup." He grabbed Hiccup's shoulder and shook him. "Remember what I said? You can't fall asleep. Hiccup? _Hiccup!"_

Hiccup didn't wake up. Unconscious.

"Oh, great," Snotlout muttered furiously, "just great. Today is _not_ my day…" He frowned and pressed his hand to Hiccup's bandaged forehead. He was burning up. "Oh, darn it, Hiccup…"

He reached over, grabbing his supply satchel and pulling it closer. He wrapped one arm around Hiccup's shoulders to keep him from falling over and, with his other hand, pulled another small roll of gauze from the satchel, as well as a small canteen of water.

He managed to soak the gauze with water, and he bunched it up and pressed it to Hiccup's forehead.

"If you go dying on me, Hiccup, you'll never hear the end of it," said Snotlout, holding the compress to his cousin's head, subconsciously letting Hiccup's head rest on his shoulder. "You're an idiot, I'll give you that, but you're a brave idiot."

He waited for a response.

None came.

" _DARN IT, HICCUP!"_ Snotlout said furiously. _"GET UP!"_

Still no response. Just before Snotlout could start howling at his cousin again, loud shouts issued from above, followed by the sounds of large wings flapping.

" _SNOTLOUT! HICCUP!"_ shouted the loud, booming, feminine voice that could only belong to one person.

"Astrid!" Snotlout shouted, waving a hand up at the approaching dragons - Fishlegs, the twins, and Astrid soared in. "We're over here! OVER HERE!"

"There they are!" yelled Fishlegs, pointing frantically. "Down there! I see them!"

Snotlout was so relieved he broke into giddy laughs. "We're saved, Hiccup," he said, squeezing his cousin's shoulder. " _Saved!"_

To his surprise, Hiccup half-opened blearily eyes and smiled weakly. "I know," he said. "And it's all thanks to you."

Snotlout grinned. "You owe me one, Dragon Boy. You _so_ owe me one."

"I know."

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **I told you guys I'd update this story soon! :D So, anyways, I hope you enjoyed this! The next story in the line is going to be titled "Cold and Alone", and it was requested by BookWorm (guest), and I thought the idea was interesting, since I've never done something like it before.**

 **Anyways, for those of you who care to know, I've just been dragged into the Fullmetal Alchemist fandom by my younger brother when he picked up volume one of the Manga at our library. I binge-read five volumes yesterday within three hours, so I'm kind of crazy right now, between that and watching the anime. So along with my How to Train Your Dragon stories, you might see a few Fullmetal Alchemist ones thrown in there. ;)**

 **Anyways, I'll see you all soon! It won't be too long before this story gets another update. :) Love ya!**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


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